Of Everything and Anything That Goes
by hyugatenten
Summary: A series of one-shots that range from G to M of Joshua and Neku. THIS IS YAOI/SLASH/BOY-ON-BOY ACTION. Just in case.
1. You Can't Rape The Willing

**Chapter 1: You Can't Rape The Willing**

Rating: R? NC-17?

Warnings: Rape...ish? Language. Kinky good stuff?

Word Count: 4014 (Just the story)

Summary: Neku finds himself in a predicament. With rape.

Author's notes: Well...this came out of nowhere. Literally. I guess the idea was just floating around, but everything else was...blah. XD. I hope you guys enjoy!

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To call it surprising would be an understatement, but to Neku that wasn't really the point at the moment.

Instead, he was much more concerned with the sudden force between his shoulder blades that sent him crashing into the nearest wall, and the pain that came along with the shove from his head slamming nicely into the brick.

The fact that a knee just jammed in-between his legs and the feel of a hand pinning his own above his head came to his mind a bit after the pain had faded. The sight of a smirking face, smug eyes and silver hair registered in his head next.

"What...?" Neku mumbled as he immediately started to struggle out of his hold. The captor seemed to smirk wider.

"Now, now, we can't let you escape just yet." He giggled. Neku continued with his struggle.

"Screw you. Let me go! Bastard!" He yelled. The smirking boy only tightened his grip.

"How rude. I'll have you know that I have a name."

"I don't care!"

"It's Yoshiya, by the way. Yoshiya Kiryu. Mother and Father call me Joshua though."

"I don't give a rat's ass, now let go!" Neku roared. Joshua rolled his eyes.

"I suppose you have a name, boy?" He asked.

"I don't need to tell you that." Neku said sternly. Joshua giggled. Before Neku could retort again, Joshua brushed his lips against his ear. The struggling boy blinked in confusion.

"It's Neku, isn't it?" Joshua giggled again. Neku stopped struggling instantly, and settled on staring at his captor.

"How did you know that? Have you been stalking me?" He growled low. Joshua frowned.

"You give yourself too much credit. Who would give the time and effort to go around stalking _you_?" Joshua smirked. "Oh, and if you're still wondering, your friend called out your name before you guys separated. That girl." Neku stared. Shiki. He'll have to ask her to stop that next time he sees her.

"So what, you just randomly decided to attack me?" Neku glared. "You're some sick freak." Joshua shrugged.

"Well, to be exact, it's not an attack." He replied.

"Then get off me!" Neku yelled, and renewed his struggle.

"You're such a simpleton. No." Joshua giggled, and pushed his knee up further. Neku winced. He opened his mouth to yell a reply, but was cut off when Joshua took the opportunity to press his lips against his own chapped ones.

"It's not an attack. It's rape." He murmured lightly into his mouth before pressing hard once more. Neku froze, as if a bucket of ice cold water was poured down his back. He stood unresponsive for a moment as Joshua began press light kisses to his jaw.

"_Get off me, you sick fuck!" _He roared, and started to struggle as hard as he could against Joshua's hold. The silveret giggled, before biting hard on his neck. Neku hissed as blood began to flow from the bite wound.

"Has anybody told you that you have amazing skin, Neku?" Joshua breathed against his neck as he slowly released his neck. Neku refused to answer.

"No? Sad. You do have amazing skin. It just looks better with blood." Joshua continued, and ran his tongue across the wounds to lap up the blood. The captive started to pant some, and his eyes clouded over.

"Your blood tastes amazing as well. Looks like I choose well." Finished with cleaning up the wound and all the blood that had leaked through, he trailed his lips up Neku's jaw and to his left ear. Flicking out his tongue, he traced the outer shell of the ear softly before dipping it into his ear and swirling it around. Neku shivered and released a small groan. Meanwhile, Josh's free hand crept up the back of Neku's baggy shirt and drew feather light circles on his back.

"See, that's a good boy." Joshua giggled before savagely pulling up Neku's shirt up and over his head, stopping at the wrists. Neku gasped loudly as the cold air hit his heated skin, and flushed when he felt the weight of Joshua's eyes roaming his skin.

"S-stop... " Neku tried to ground out. Joshua ignored him and wasted no time to raise his free hand to grasp and pinch at one nipple while his mouth busied itself with the other, and Neku threw his head back, groaning. The orangehead twisted and choked as the silveret spared him no mercy. With his fingers he pulled and pinched harshly, flicking the rosy bud with his fingers in an almost amused manner. With his mouth he sucked and licked, sometimes hard, sometimes soft. Mostly he bit though, and when he did Neku groaned loudly and arched his back as constant shivers was sent down his spine.

"Either you are very sensitive, Neku dear, or you are very vocal." Joshua teased as he released his nipple from a particularly hard bite. Neku raised his eyes through his panting and glared half-heartedly. Joshua giggled, and smirked. "No matter. It's still enjoyable."

He trailed his hand down Neku's side, ignoring the shiver when he passed by his abdomen. He traced every crook and nanny on his chest with a ghostly touch, not really touching the skin but still making Neku feel the full effect.

"Stop this. Don't...!" Neku gasped out, face flushing even more as Joshua took to trailing butterfly kisses down his neck while sucking at some points. He licked and sucked especially hard at his pulse causing Neku to moan and unconsciously tilt his head back to allow Joshua more room.

The hand was trailing his chest again, only now pressing harder. His lips reached his collarbone and he sucked again, drawing out a large gasp from the panting boy. His knee started to move, ever so slightly, along the bulge that was beginning to show in his shorts. Neku squeezed his eyes shut. _This guy is everywhere!_

They snapped open when he felt Joshua bite into the junction between his shoulder and his neck. Neku yelped loudly at the sting, and glared at the top of Joshua's head. He could not, however, resist the groan that ripped from his throat when Joshua started to suck and lick at the wound while his finger twisted his nipple almost painfully and his knee pressed into his crotch hard.

"Bitch." Neku hissed out, and Joshua raised his head, showing him his smirk.

"Who, you?" He laid out before closing in and claiming Neku's lips. The two pairs of lips stayed closed for a moment before Neku felt Joshua's tongue licking at his bottom lip. Neku growled and refused to open. Joshua pulled away, giggled, and before Neku could glare at him, plunged back to kiss him again. This time, however, he instantly bit at Neku's bottom lip - hard. Neku gasped, and Joshua shoved his tongue into the moist cavern and exploring fervently. Blood mixed in with their saliva, giving both boys the taste of metal. They continued to kiss passionately as Joshua's hand continued to explore his upper body, now returning to Neku's nipple once in a while to press hard on the bud. Neku would moan into his mouth, and he would smirk into the kiss. Finally, he sucked harshly on Neku's bleeding lip before retreating.

For a moment, all Joshua did was stare. Neku stared back through his pants and flushed cheeks before both of them leaned in into a soft kiss. The silveret dipped his fingers beneath the hem of the orangehead's shorts and stayed there. Instead, he moved his knee again, rubbing against Neku's crotch. He threw back his head and groaned loudly. Unconsciously he thrust his hips forward on the knee. Friction. He needed more friction.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself, Neku dear." Joshua giggled in his ear as he moved his knee faster. Neku groaned in response.

"D-don't be stupid..." He muttered. "You're still a bastard." Joshua rolled his eyes.

"And you must be a bitch in heat." He replied. Neku's angry eyes flashed up to meet his own.

"Am not-" He began before his eyes widened. Joshua had swiftly moved his hand to his clothed hard-on and started to stroke it harshly. Neku cracked his head against the wall and gave a long, loud moan. Joshua smirked.

"I beg your pardon?" He mocked. Neku didn't even both to meet his eyes again, too busy with the feel of Joshua's hand stroking his cock.

An idea passed by Joshua's head. He smirked. Giving Neku's cock a few more hard strokes, he suddenly backed away from the boy. Neku, without any support or any realization that his legs had lost its strength, crumpled to the ground harshly. On his hands and knees, he panted for a bit before raising his head at the giggling boy in front of him.

"Hey! What was that for!" He yelled. Joshua simply smirked and shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"You wanted me to get off, didn't you? To stop, right? And I did. Why are you so angry?" Joshua asked, amusement lacing his tone and his eyes as he looked down to the boy. Neku faltered.

"But I..."

"Oh, look at the time! If I don't hurry, I'll be late for an appointment. I'll be seeing you, Neku." With a wave, Joshua turned his back and started to walk out of the back alley that he had dragged Neku into earlier on. The orangehead's jaw dropped.

"_Wait!_ You can't just leave me lying here!" He yelled at the retreating figure. Joshua stopped, turned his head, and smiled.

"Oh, so you want me to continue...?" He asked coyly. Neku paused again. Did he want him to continue? Joshua walked back to the boy on the ground. Squatting, he took Neku's chin in his hand and tilted it up so they were face-to-face. The silveret stared into Neku's unsure eyes and giggled.

"Do you? There is no turning back, though. I'm pretty rough." He whispered. Neku showed concern on his face, and he privately mulled it over. Meanwhile, Joshua trailed his hand down Neku's bare back softly before reaching his shorts. Neku's eyes started to cloud over once more, and a pink tongue darted out to wet his slightly parted lips. Keeping eye contact, Joshua moved his hand further, down his lower back and into his boxers. There, he caressed the soft skin of Neku's bottom, causing Neku's breath to hitch in his throat. He squeezed a few times, earning a soft moan from Neku. Slowly, Joshua dipped one finger, two fingers, into the crack in between the two cheeks, and Neku leaned in for a kiss...

...before Joshua tore his hand out of Neku's shorts. Neku's eyes flashed, and he took in Josh's smug face.

"Well? Do you want me, Neku?" Joshua asked again. This time Neku bobbed his head. _Yes. Screw everything else._

Joshua instantly flipped the boy over. Cradling a kneeling Neku in between his legs in his squatting form, he sucked at his ear while his hands trailed down this chest. Stopping to play with the orangehead's nipples, Neku groaned as the silveret moved his hands down south. Reaching the shorts, he instantly started working on unbuckling them. Neku gave a weak chuckle.

"Here. Let me." He murmured before quickly undoing his belt and his shorts and shimmying both the shorts and the boxers down his legs to his knees. Neku shivered and groaned; the cold air to his cock sent shivers up his spine. Joshua traced his hands up and down his legs and inner thighs, but never once touching his manhood at all. Neku groaned in desperation.

"Jo-osh..." He groaned loudly. The boy in question giggled.

"He-ey Neku. You want me, right?" He asked quietly in his ear. Neku gave a distinct nod, but looked suspiciously at the silveret over his shoulder.

"Well, I was thinking. Since it's you who wants me, I think you should..." Joshua leaned in closer, so his lips were pressed directly on Neku's ear, "I think you should _beg_ me."

Neku's reaction was instant. He whipped around and glared straight into Joshua's amused eyes.

"What?" He hissed. "I will not." Joshua giggled.

"Oh yea?" He asked, smirking. Neku's defiant eyes continued to glare into his own before Joshua trailed a finger up the underside of Neku's cock. The boy immediately sagged and gripped onto Joshua's shoulders as a shudder raced through his body. A groan ripped from his lips.

"How about now?" Joshua asked, his confidence rolling off his form in waves. Neku gave no answer, his lust filled eyes staring intently at the ground. The hands gripping onto his shoulders were still trembling. The silveret giggled, and traced his thumb over Neku's slit. The boy threw his head back and groaned loudly, panting all the while.

"Have you made up your mind yet, Neku? I can't be here all day, you know." Joshua stated impatiently. "Perhaps I should leave."

"NO!" Neku shouted, his wild eyes looking scared for a moment. Then he drooped his head lower. "No...I...how..." He asked awkwardly.

"How about, 'Please take me Joshua, I want you, I need you. Please take me with your big strong cock!' I think that would suffice, dear." Joshua offered, smirking. Neku blushed intently. It took him a few moments to gather his wits before raising his head.

"P-Please take me Josh...I...I want...I want you! So please..." He mumbled, eyes looking away. Joshua took his chin in his hand and gave him a congratulatory kiss.

"That's a good boy." He murmured into the kiss. "Not quite what I was looking for, but I guess beggars can't be choosers, now can they?" He quipped. Suddenly, he stood. Neku stared at him with desperation, disbelief, and betrayal.

"Now now, don't look at me like that." Joshua giggled before dragging the boy to his feet as well. Quickly, he shoved the shirt back down over Neku's head with one hand while quickly tugging up his shorts with the other.

"Come." Joshua hissed before dragging the dazed boy further into the alley. They walked a short distance before they came to a door. Releasing the boy's hand, Joshua fumbled with the keys.

"My place." He explained to the confused boy who was still sporting a hard on. Finally, Joshua picked the right key and once the door was unlocked, kicked the door open impatiently and dragged Neku in. Slamming and locking the door once the boy was in, he eagerly locked lips with his soon-to-be lover as he tossed the keys onto the kitchen counter. _The back door_, Neku thought faintly in his mind.

The two figures staggered together in refusal to break their lip lock before they finally landed on a couch with Neku on top. They continued for a few moments in their passion before Neku risked breaking it. Sitting on the silveret's stomach, he quickly pulled his shirt up and over his head before tossing it in an unknown direction. Joshua retook in the sights and before his hands could reach up to trace Neku's form once more, he was pleasantly surprised when the boy pushed by his hands and started to unbutton his blue shirt. He giggled.

"Eager, aren't we?" He smirked. Neku ignored his jab and finished unbuttoning the shirt. Violently, he pushed the fabric to his shoulders before leaning down and crashing his lips to Joshua's. Hands now exploring freely, they both groaned into a kiss that was all teeth and tongue. Not that they cared.

Pulling back to observe the body of the person who had wanted to rape him only a short time ago, Neku eyed him carefully. From his shoulders, his hands followed his gaze as they greedily took in the sights. Finally, Neku's hands settled on Joshua's nipples, and he started to twist, pull and pinch as Joshua had done to him before. Neku watched the expression on Joshua's face. A slightly furrowed look with his lips slightly parted, his curly hair spread out on the pillow. Neku smirked softly before attaching his lips to Joshua's neck. The boy now on the receiving end raised his hands to stroke them lightly through Neku's spiked hair while muttering, "Now there's a good boy..."

However, Joshua liked power and control. Deciding that he had already given his toy enough control for the day, he flipped them over and pinned the surprised boy to the couch.

"That's quite enough from you." He said, smirking. With quick fingers, Joshua ripped the shorts and boxers off Neku in a single, fluid movement. Neku hissed at the cold air once more, and gasped with Joshua gripped his cock tightly with one hand. Looking up, Joshua's smug eyes met with Neku's desperate ones. Slowly, while keeping eye contact, Joshua began to pump his fist.

Neku groaned and moaned, and with each passing second they grew louder. He twisted and thrust his hips forward while his fingers scratched at the couch looking for a place to clutch at. His eyes squeezed shut as sweat began to roll down his face.

"That's a good picture." Joshua said softly, and Neku's eyes snapped open to observe him. His free hand had reached into his pants that were now bunched up just below his hips, and was bringing his own manhood out. Neku's eyes widened slightly at the size of it, but it simply didn't matter when Joshua grounded their hips together in sweet contact. The orangehead threw his head back in a loud groan, and panted hard as Joshua brought their two cocks together and started to pump them both. Neku reached down with one of his hands and started to pump along with him, fire starting to build up at the bottom of his stomach.

Suddenly, Joshua pulled away. Neku groaned with the loss of contact before three fingers were shoved into his open mouth.

"Suck." Joshua commanded. Neku obeyed as he sucked the three appendages, his tongue swirling and dodging in-between them. Joshua watched, transfixed, before tugging his fingers out. "Enough."

The three fingers coated in Neku's saliva reached down and massaged Neku's entrance. Neku watched, and threw his head back as a finger protruded into him, forcing a loud yelp out from his throat. The finger started to pump in and out of Neku, while the boy in question shifted awkwardly. It's not like it was hurting, it was just uncomfortable.

Neku yelped again as a second finger joined the first unexpectedly. He groaned with the pain and wiggled his hips to try and lessen it. The two fingers now scissored while pumping in and out of his entrance. Then, Neku's vision turned white as fire raced from his lower regions and up. He yelled out loudly, his back arched, and his toes curled.

"There! Hit there again, Josh!" Neku yelled. Joshua giggled.

"You called out my name." Joshua said. He pumped his fingers in again, and hit the spot once more. Neku yelled again.

"That is a good thing." Once Joshua said that, he added the third finger in. Neku hissed in pain.

"You need to relax, or it will continue to hurt, Neku. Do you understand?" Joshua stared at Neku. The boy nodded uncertainly, and tried to relax as Joshua continued to stretch him while pumping in and out. Soon, Neku had gotten used to it and was moaning freely again. The three fingers continued to pump for a moment, before they were withdrawn. Neku groaned at the loss.

There was a pulling on his hand. He looked down in a daze and trailed the arm who was pulling his up to Joshua.

"Neku, sit up." Joshua ordered. Neku sat up at once, looking up at Joshua with curiosity in his eyes. Joshua stood, and placed a foot on the side of Neku where the seat met up with the back of the couch. His cock stood proudly in front of Neku's face.

"Suck." He commanded bluntly. Neku stared for a moment, glanced once at Joshua, before opening his mouth and encasing the member cautiously. Joshua's breath hitched from entering the moist chamber, and groaned softly as Neku began to bob his head up and down his shaft. He sucked softly and ran his tongue over the slit on the head, earning a loud moan from Joshua.

"That's enough." He panted out, and Neku slowly released his cock with a loud smack. It glistened with saliva. Pushing at Neku's shoulders and telling him indirectly to lay back down, Joshua quickly dipped his fingers in his own mouth and shoved them into Neku's entrance again, making sure that Neku was adequately stretched out. He pulled them out quickly, leaving Neku breathless.

"Ready?" Joshua asked quietly, positioning both his legs over his arms and one over his shoulder. Neku shakily nodded a yes.

"Remember. Relax, or else it will hurt more than it has to, alright?" Without waiting for a reply, Joshua gripped Neku's bony hips tightly with both hands, and entered Neku with a swift thrust. Neku tilted his head back in a silent scream as his back arched to impossible angles. He dug his fingernails into Joshua's shoulders, drawing blood without meaning to. Slowly, Joshua edged forward until he was fully sheathed in the boy. He opened his eyes to watch Neku screw his eyes shut and gasp in pain.

He only waited for just a moment before pulling back and slamming into the boy again, making sure that his hips were angled enough to hit his prostrate. This time, Neku screamed out, still not used to the size or the presence of Joshua's cock. The dominating boy disregarded the orangehead's reaction and continued to pull out slowly and slamming back in, moaning softly all the way. Soon, Neku had stopped screaming and began moaning at the violent thrusts from Joshua, even bringing his own hips up and meeting Joshua's thrusts half way. The two boys moaned loudly.

"F-faster!" Neku yelled.

"Neku...you...you're so tight..." Joshua groaned out as he picked up the pace. Each thrust the two made continued to hit Neku's prostrate straight on, causing Neku to let go of Joshua's shoulders and cling onto the arm of the couch instead. Joshua reached to Neku's cock and gripped it tightly, pumping it in time with his thrusts. Neku moaned loudly.

"Joshua! Josh, I-I'm coming...!" Neku yelled out.

"Heh. Fine. Come then." Joshua replied breathlessly as he continued to pound into Neku. Soon after, Neku screamed his release as his fluids flew and coated both their chests. Joshua came right after, seeing as how Neku had unintentionally clenched Joshua's cock as he came.

Joshua continued to pump both his hand and his cock as they both rode out their orgasms. Neku collapsed against the coach tiredly as Joshua fell on top of him. The two panted heavily, breathing in the air that smelled of their two scents and sex. Slowly, Joshua pulled out of Neku with a wet plop. They stayed there in silence in each other's presence. Finally, Neku opened his mouth.

"So-"

"Boss, I'm back!" A voice sounded from the hallway. Neku started to sit up, muttering a dark, "Shit!" before Joshua pushed him back down.

"Don't worry." He muttered before snuggling down into Neku. The boy stared at the silveret in bewilderment.

"Hey boss, check out wh - oh." Neku stared at the newcomer in horror, as did the newcomer with Neku.

"Sanae. Go away for a while, will you?" Joshua waved his hand in dismissal. "You are making him nervous." Sanae Hanekoma backed up slowly, before jerking his head in what seemed to be a nod before rushing down the hallway. Neku winced at the slamming of the door.

"Was that really necessary?" Neku muttered. Then he remembered.

"So you succeeded." Neku declared. Joshua looked up and blinked sleepily. "In what?"

"In raping me." Neku stated bluntly. Joshua giggled.

"Oh, you think that?" Joshua asked, wrapping his arms around Neku's chest.

"...wait, what?" Neku asked, his mind a bit fogged up.

"Of course I didn't rape you, you simpleton. You can't rape the willing."

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Author's note: Well, that's how it is. My first lemon! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please note that this is a series of one-shots...although some one-shots could be connected to other one-shots. I will probably not be updating regularly. Most likely not...as you can see with my other stories. :)

Review as you see fit! I'm certainly open to anything at the moment. If you have been reading my other stories and suddenly this one pops up, and you're going, "WTF?" Um, yea. Sorry. -_-'


	2. Mus Rattus

**Chapter 2:** **Mus Rattus**

Rating: M...? Again...

Warnings: Blowjobs! Yeah! Oh, and semi-AU. Still within the time of playing the game, it's just that Neku has another partner. Joshua is still living.

Word Count: 1554

Summary: While shopping for Mus Rattus threads to get past a wall, Neku accidentally stumbles across a rather "special" branch.

Author's notes: I totally just realized that I didn't put a disclaimer in the last chapter...so...TWEWY characters belong to Squareenix! Okay. I also forgot to say that the last chapter was AU...so...in case anybody was confused...I'm sorry! Haha. I hope you enjoy!

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"I hate Mus Rattus." Neku muttered darkly. "Scratch that. I hate walls more."

"Come on bro, it's like, not such a big deal, y'know? Mus Rattus is cheap and all, so we don't have to spend a lot of money on this stuff, you know what I mean?" Neku's partner, Jerry, slurred back. He grinned lopsidedly at the sales clerk Yumi and took a swig from his drink.

"Get off the alcohol, Jerry." Neku rolled his eyes and randomly chose a yellow tee off the racks. "I'll be right back, I need to get changed into this." Without waiting for an answer, he stalked to the nearest change room. Behind him, Jerry ran out of the store holding his mouth.

"Ah, wait sir! That's-" Yumi called after him. Neku walked away from her. _She's probably calling after Jerry,_he thought. _Stupid idiot probably ran into the back room or something._

Strolling to the nearest door around the corner, he pushed against it. Locked. Groaning, he looked for the next nearest change room. He sighed gratefully. The door was ajar on that one. He walked quickly towards it, and despite the warning signals that he didn't notice going off in his head, he pushed open the door.

His eyes widened at the sight.

A brunet leaned back over a bench and onto the wall behind him, his head tilted back and his lust filled eyes gazed at the ceiling. In his mouth there was a ball gag, muffling his voice as he moaned and moaned again. His pants were open and pooling around his ankles, and his entire body was trembling like mad. One of his hands gripped at the back of the bench, and the other held on tightly to a mass of silver hair. Neku's eyes trailed down.

A silveret was on his knees and bobbing his head up and down the brunet's shaft. One of his hands were fondling the brunet's balls while the other was holding on tightly to his hips, holding them back from gagging him. His eyes were shut as he concentrated on breathing through his nose, and gave little whimpers from time to time.

Neku's member immediately jumped and started to harden. He stared, transfixed, at the silveret who was now deep-throating the poor silenced man. He pulled back, giving Neku a show of how impressive the brunet was before forcing his head back down far enough to bury his nose in the brown curls at the base. Neku watched as he stayed there for a moment, his Adam's apple moving up and down as he swallowed. The brunet gave a long, muffled moan. Suddenly, the silveret's eyes snapped open and they zoomed to Neku's direction. He pulled up, releasing the brunet's hard on with a loud smack and started to breathe heavily.

"Sorry, you'll have to give me a minute. I'm almost done." The silveret breathed out as his hand pumped the cock with uneven strokes. "You're welcome to come in and watch. Close the door behind you?" Without waiting for a response, the silveret plunged back down.

Neku's brain told him to run. His body, instead, moved into the change room and closed and locked the door behind him. Without moving his sight from the sucking silveret, he moved to sit beside the brunet who hadn't even noticed his entrance. In the mean time, the silveret went back to bobbing his head fiercely. This time, however, he kept his eyes open as he stared back at Neku.

The bulge in his pants gave a twitch as the silveret hollowed out his cheeks and sucked at the tip of the brunet. The brunet arched his back beside Neku as tears of pleasure came to his eyes, his muffled voice gave out louder moans. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" The silveret pulled away immediately and answered the knock. His hand continued to pump the brunet as his other massaged and pulled at his balls.

"Too loud, Joshua. Quiet him down, will you?" The feminine voice on the other side called, and high heels clicked away. _Funny, _Neku thought. _How could I have missed her coming?_

"Right." The silveret - Joshua, Neku remembered - muttered. He turned his smirk to the brunet boy.

"Alright then. Hey," Joshua looked up at the brunet. He didn't answer.

"Hey." Joshua repeated, his eyebrows furrowing. Again, the brunet didn't answer.

"Hey!" Joshua gave the cock in his hands a harsh squeeze. The brunet yelped and glared down at him.

"You need to quiet down. Keep a lid on what's coming out of your mouth, and I'll continue, okay?" Joshua giggled before plunging down. The brunet, to his credit, only made a small whimper and tilted his head back again. By this point Neku was hurriedly opening up the zipper in his pants and pulling out his own cock, now hardened, enlarged, and weeping with pre-cum and started to stroke to the speed of Joshua's head. Joshua eyed him as he sucked, and smirked as best as he could with his mouth around cock. He pulled his hand from stroking the brunet's balls and moved it to Neku's member. Slapping the offending hand away, he pulled on it harshly.

Neku yelled softly as the skilled fingers played with his manhood. His pants now filled the change room, along with the soft sucking sounds of Joshua. He twisted and groaned softly, remembering Joshua's threat to the brunet, and joined his hand with the one already having fun with his cock and together they pumped it up and down.

Neku nearly missed the brunet's hand that shot in between their bodies and tugged at Joshua's shirt. He watched in fascination as Joshua looked up towards the brunet and nodded. Pulling his hand away from their conjoined ones at Neku's cock, he clenched tightly at the other side of the brunet's hips, buried his nose in the brown curls again and hummed softly. With a loud cry from the brunet, Neku watched lustfully as Joshua swallowed the brunet's cum professionally as it was shot into his throat, and gave a moan together with the brunet as they watched Joshua finally pull away. His mouth was open, giving both boys a view of his cum-filled mouth as he lapped at whatever he missed with his tongue. His hand wiped at his chin.

Wordlessly, he reached up and pulled the ball gag forcefully from the panting brunet's mouth. He gave a moment to him as he staggered to his feet, legs numb from kneeling on the floor for too long.

"Zip yourself up, boy." Joshua giggled as he tapped at the brunet's limp cock. Neku watched as the brunet pulled himself to his feet and tidied himself up in front of the mirror before nodding to the silveret and leaving the room. He slumped against the back of the bench. _What just happened?_

"Now. You haven't paid yet, have you?" A voice broke Neku out of his reverie. He turned his surprised eyes towards Joshua, watching the boy attempt to fix his messed hair.

"Pay?" He asked, confused.

"Yea, pay. It's your first time to this store, isn't it?" Joshua giggled. "It's not hard to tell. I'll be nice and explain to you what's going on." He took a seat beside Neku and leaned close. Neku unconsciously backed up a little.

"You see, this isn't your usual Mus Rattus store. The owner gets most of her profits by, well, _other means._" Joshua whispered. "You see, this store is half retail, half brothel." The news hit Neku like a ton of bricks.

"W-what?" He stuttered. "In a _Mus Rattus_ store?"

"Yea, about that. That's probably to be on the down low, not a lot of people enter Mus Rattus stores anyways." Joshua said thoughtfully. "Anyways. People are supposed to pay a down payment at the front. They get the change room number from the clerk, and they wait their turn outside until we get them. We," Joshua pointed to himself, "provide the service, they leave, and pay the rest. Ta da!" He said sarcastically. Neku furrowed his brow.

"Wait. You're a - " he started. Joshua giggled, and he started to crawl into Neku's lap.

"Don't think too much. No. This is a part-time job, and I am doing this willingly." Neku froze. "Any other job is much too boring, I find." He giggled again.

"...N-no. I haven't paid yet." Neku muttered, turning his blushing face away. Joshua tutted.

"No? That's a shame. Oh well." Joshua trailed a finger down Neku's clothed chest and came to a rest at the obvious bulge in his shorts. "I-" A knock interrupted Joshua.

"Joshua? What are you doing in there? Your next customer is waiting for you!" A feminine voice on the other side scolded. A look of rage overcame Joshua's features before he hid them again.

"Just cleaning up the mess. I'll come collect them when I'm finished." Joshua called back. High heels clicked away. Quickly, Joshua turned to Neku. Leaning in close, he bucked his hips against the other's earning a soft moan.

"Go back outside and pay first. Ask for me, Kiryu, got it?" He whispered in Neku's ear. Neku barely managed a small nod before Joshua climbed out of his lap.

"Good. Now, get out."

* * *

Author's notes: Ok, so a bit shorter than my other one. It leaves room for continuation, anyways. Now, about Mus Rattus. Personally, it's not my favourite brand. I mean, it's like...useful and cheap and all, but I prefer the other brands over it. Anyways, nothing against Mus Rattus.


	3. Cats

**Cats**

Rating: Uh...K+?

Warnings: Language, VERY BIG FAIL at humour, a mention of arousal...that's it. Oh, and cats falling out windows.

Word Count: 2810 words

Summary: While suffering through a horrible day, Neku can still experience some...unique events in the end.

Author's notes: This came out of nowhere. Half the stuff that I wrote, I didn't even plan to write. Anyways. There's going to be some sad attempts at humour. And maybe some points that don't connect. Enjoy anyways! Ha.

* * *

What a shitty day.

First he missed his bus, then he got detention for being two seconds late after running the entire 15 blocks to school in seven minutes. It started raining once he gets out in the afternoon (his hand cramped from writing "I will not be late again" too many times on paper that was recycled right away) and he forgot his umbrella. Unwilling to wait for the downpour to stop, he tried to run home again, and got splashed numerous times by unforgiving cars. Oh, and once he stepped into his small apartment the downpour stops.

The world hates him, Sakuraba Neku thought gloomily as he pulled at his blasted window. The teen had always believed that the thing was improperly installed with the amount of times that it was stuck and couldn't open. After fighting with it for a few minutes, he managed his window open and pulled in his now-soaked socks from their hooks out the window. He'll need the space to dry his dirty school uniform. Neku sighed. The pair of socks that he was wearing was his last good ones, too.

_Next thing you know there will be a storm tonight, and my lame and cheap apartment will be the only one that gets water damage_, he continued to think. _This is what I get for moving out without getting a steady job first. _Chucking his bag aside, he pulled open his fridge. He groaned instantly.

_And I'm out of food!_ He roared in his head. Of course he would forget to do groceries. Neku smartly avoided the idea of slamming his head repeatedly against the wall. Instead, he slide against the wall until he was sitting cross legged on the floor, and closed his eyes.

"The best thing to do in any situation," He remembered his friend Rhyme had once told him, "is to calm down. Take deep breaths! Soon you will see things in a better way, and your crisis won't be a crisis anymore!" Neku practiced his deep breathing.

_Yea. I can just...do my laundry first so that it will have more time to dry. Then I can see what I can whip up with what I've got left. If all else fails, I'll do my homework tomorrow morning and go out again tomorrow after school to quickly buy something that will last me until the weekend._ He decided. Reluctantly he rose from the floor. Filling up his kettle and placing it neatly on a heated stove, he walked into the bedroom while pulling his shirt over his head. It was safe enough, seeing as his apartment almost contained no doors.

He threw his soaked shirt into his old top-load washer while struggling to unbutton his trousers with one hand at the same time. He sighed when it didn't work. _Shiki always told me that men couldn't multi-task._

He grimaced when the material clung onto his wet legs as he peeled it off. Luckily his boxers were dry enough, and he threw the pants in the direction of the washer with rage. The wet item splat noisily against the lid before slowly sliding down. Neku promptly decided to never do that again. He had barely started the load when his kettle whistled.

The orangehead (now almost a burnt sienna as it hung around his shoulders since the gel refused to hold his hair up anymore due to the rain) quickly fixed himself some tea to sip as he opened all his cupboards slowly. He took in each item with a hard look before opening his fridge last. Cool, he thought as he shrugged. There's enough to make simple pasta for a small meal tonight and a smaller meal for tomorrow's lunch.

In no time he had a pot over the single stove with the rest of water from the kettle. Humming softly, he quickly set up a bowl to the side before grabbing his bag and pulling out his (thank the heavens!) dry homework. Settling down on his low table just outside the kitchen area, he sat in his boxers and set to work. Two pages of chemistry homework later, Neku strolled into the kitchen and plopped his noodles in before heading back out again. Three pages of chemistry homework later he rushed back to stir the forgotten noodles just in time before the bubbles made it over the edge.

He was lucky enough to have the washer signal it's job done when the noodles were finished cooking. Tilting the pot over the sink's edge, he used the lid to keep the noodles in as the hot water drained out from the space in between. Angry steam drifted up and clouded his vision a little, but the smell made him tilt his lips slightly upward. In a few minutes, there would be food.

Once Neku had finished draining his spaghetti he turned to his washer. He took a moment to wring out his clothes (damn washer!) before rushing to the window before any water dripped onto his floor. Quickly, he hung his dripping uniform to dry before walking back to finish his pasta. A few minutes later, he emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of pasta covered modestly with tomato sauce that he had heated up from the can. (The leftovers were put into a container for his lunch tomorrow so that he wouldn't accidentally overeat.)

"Itadakimasu!" Neku announced proudly through his empty apartment while clapping his hands firmly together. Cradling the bowl in one hand and his fork in another, he raised the steaming pasta to his mouth when-

_BAM!_

Neku nearly jumped out of his skin before his senses overloaded with thoughts of, _Is my food okay?!_ Thankfully it was, and Neku set it down on the table carefully before rushing to his window. Cautiously, he ignored his still-wet clothes and took a look around his apartment complex. At first he didn't see anything, but when he looked up he nearly yelped in fright.

_The hell is that black blob!?_ He screamed radically before ducking into his window quickly lest that thing was still falling. He waited with his eyes squeezed shut for a few moments before he opened them and stared out the window in shock.

"The hell?" He voiced aloud before taking the risk and ducking his head outside once more. Then nearly gave himself whiplash as he tried to duck back in when he saw the _stupid black blob was still there._

Then, he blinked. Then blinked again. Was it just him, or was there color on that black blob? So, for the third time he stuck his head out the window for curiosity's sake, but this time he didn't duck back in. He squinted at the squirming black blob before it clicked in his mind.

The color on the black blob was a leash that instead of going around the neck, it also went around the front legs and around the middle. The black blob was a cat.

_Um, what? _Neku blinked.

_The hell is a cat doing outside the window?_ Neku thought quizzically and his eyebrows furrowed. _Oh my god! That cat is going to fall!_ Scrambling back into his apartment, he shoved his half-open accursed window to the side, and sat on his window pane, prepared to push the cat back into the apartment above his.

Only, the cat was gone. Instead, the sly thing had climbed back up on its own, and was now peering into his blue, shocked eyes with its own wide open green eyes with large pupils. For a moment time had stopped, with Neku sitting out of his window, half naked with only his boxers on, having a staring contest with a black cat that had nearly killed itself by venturing too far.

"Hanekoma seems to like you." A voice interrupted their contest, and Neku tore his eyes away from the green eyes to the violet. A figure leaned out his window from the apartment above, staring down at him. He had silver hair that gleamed in the moonlight, violet eyes, and a light that illuminated his figure from behind (probably the lights from inside the apartment.) Neku allowed his eyes to trail from his messy hair, to his smirking lips, then to his collar bone exposed by the half open blue dress shirt.

Beat told him he was gay once, he remembered as he kept himself from drooling. Now he knew where he was coming from.

"Are you putting on a show?" The boy from the window above broke his trance again. Shocked, Neku snapped his eyes back to the other's.

"What?" He sputtered. The figure giggled.

"Sorry. It's just that you're half naked and leaning out your window. Any longer and your audience might think that you're teasing." He warned lightly. Neku nearly fell out of the window whipping around to see if he had one, and glared with full force at the boy who was now beside himself in giggles when he saw no such thing.

"Just kidding." He said wistfully, flapping his hand casually at the raging orangehead.

"Why you-" Neku began before the man cut him off.

"Come back in, Mr. H." And with that, the silveret gathered the cat in his arms, turned into his apartment and shut the window without another word. Neku sat stunned as he gawked at the window. He pondered that for a moment before scowling and shoving his middle finger in the air towards the window.

_Bastard._ Neku thought angrily. _Last time I care for your stupid cat. Who the hell lets their cat jump out the window, for Pete's sake!_ He jumped back into his apartment and stormed to his food, now lukewarm. He fumed angrily at the stupid idiot above for distracting him from his once hot food before shoving his fork back into the bowl from it's forgotten place on the table when he had dropped it.

"Itadakimasu!" He said loudly, clapping his hands together once more. He swirled a great amount onto his fork and lifted it up to his mouth once again.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Neku dropped his fork into his bowl, blinking in surprise at his front door. His eyes glanced at the digital clock on the shelf. It read 20:00. Too late for Shiki, Beat, or Rhyme.

_Who else would visit me?_ He thought confused before pulling a sweater over his head from his pile of dirty laundry. There was a knock again on his door.

"Coming!" He yelled at it as he strode quickly to open the door.

"Yes, how can I - YOU!" Neku began as he opened the door slowly, before slamming it open and pointing a shaky finger at the silveret standing coolly outside.

"Yes, it's me. Can I come in?" The boy said before pushing past the stunned Neku and into his apartment.

"Wait. You just can't come in here, that's -" Neku sputtered. He closed the door anyways.

"This is Mr. H." The intruder shoved something into his arms before walking further into his apartment. Neku looked down in surprise at the fur ball that now rested in his arms, green liquid pools staring right back at him. He shook his head to wake himself up.

"Y-you're the guy from upstairs!" Neku stated as he followed him angrily into the kitchen area. The boy dipped his finger into the tomato sauce (Neku had to remind himself to not feel aroused but _angry_) before turning his attention to the one holding his cat.

"No, really." He said with a cool smirk. "And here I thought I was Santa Claus." Giggling at the anger that radiated off the orangehead, he shook his messy curls.

"My name is Kiryu Yoshiya. Mother and father call me Joshua. You may call me Josh." Josh smiled wryly in Neku's direction before seating himself in front of the now barely-warm pasta.

"If I remember correctly," Josh began as he took a bite out of Neku's meal ("Hey!" Neku roared angrily, but found that he couldn't move far due to the cat's leash was tied to something out the door. He couldn't bring himself to drop the cat either.) "Your name is Sakuraba Neku, right?"

Neku's eyes widened and he barely kept enough sense to keep holding the cat.

"How did you know that?" He asked in suspicion. Josh giggled before taking another bite.

"I'm a close friend of the landlord. I know the names of everyone who lives here, and the going-ons and hobbies of the majority. For instance," Josh tapped the fork against his chin as he stared at the ceiling in deep thought. "Uzuki Yashiro in apartment 115 is secretly a masochist. Surprisingly, Koki Kariya, apartment 117, works in one of the most dull offices in the North side. Apartment 219's Sho Minamimoto is the one vandalizing the roof top with the circles and triangles, while the tenant in apartment 311, Megumi Kitaniji is the one putting the smiley faces in them."

Joshua took another bite, and Neku stared.

"Oh, and you don't have to hold Mr. H. forever, you know. You can always put him down." Joshua giggled at him while waving the fork in circles as he chewed.

"How can I?" Neku yelled angrily. "You tied him up to something outside!" To prove his point he gave the leash a tug. Josh frowned, set the fork down and stood up. Walking to the door, he pulled it open. The leash that Neku was tugging flew to the orangehead and landed with a loud clack on the floor. Neku blinked in confusion.

"Silly Neku. It was just caught in the door. Surely you noticed that when you closed it?" Josh smirked and Neku flushed. Silently, he set the cat down to the floor and plopped in front of his bowl. Grabbing the fork, he went to stab some pasta while preoccupied with the giggling male behind him.

"Oi! You ate my food!" Neku yelled in shock as his fork was unsuccessful in grabbing anything. This time, he jumped up and glared the boy.

"Oh, that was your dinner?" Josh asked as his giggling stopped, his face emotionless except for his slightly furrowed eyebrows. Neku, fed up with the situation and awfully hungry, stormed up to the suddenly stoic boy and continued to push him out of his apartment.

"Get out!" He roared in frustration. Now he had to eat tomorrow's lunch as his dinner. Or he could skip dinner and eat tomorrow.

"Wait." Josh grabbed onto Neku's wrist before the orangehead had succeeded in shoving him out the door.

"What!" Neku nearly screamed. He still had homework to do, dammit! Then he had a food dilemma! All the stores around were closed by now, so he couldn't run out and get a dinner. To add on top of that, if his clothes hadn't dried yet, he's doomed for school tomorrow since that's his only uniform! With his head swimming in these thoughts, he missed what the silveret said.

"What?" He murmured, suddenly feeling exhausted and his head drooped down. So many troubles...

"I'll treat you." Neku's head shot up.

"...What?" He repeated, not believing his ears. Josh huffed, crossed his arms, and gave him an annoyed look.

"Last time I checked, Neku, you weren't deaf. I'll treat you to dinner." He said again. Neku blinked.

"...Why?" He asked suspiciously. Josh sighed before grabbing hold of his wrist and proceeded to drag him down the hall.

"Because I'm not eager to make the front pages of the local newspaper when a tenant of mine starves to death." Joshua stated bluntly. Neku shot the back of his head a look that was mixed with anger and shock.

"You said you were only close friends with the landlord!" He roared. He instantly started to struggle out of his hold. Surprisingly, the silveret's grip was tight.

"I haven't locked my doors yet!" He yelled as they neared the elevator.

"I hope you like shio ramen, because that's what you're going to get." Josh sang in response instead. Giving some fight a little more, he screamed in desperation.

"_Dammit, I'm still in my boxers!_"

Behind them they left the black cat, eyes wide open with large pupils, staring at them almost amused with green-yellow liquid pools.

* * *

Author's note: This is a semi-true story. I came home one day and the neighbour's cat had fallen over the fence. Well, it couldn't really fall because it was being held by that leash thing, but it climbed back up before I could go out. Lovely cats. Oh, and I heard that if their eyes are wide open and they have large pupils, they are excited. Hence....Mr. H. is a cat. :)


	4. I Need A Favour Part I

**Chapter 4: I need a favour (part I)**

Rating: T (at least, part I is...)

Warnings: It may or may not be utterly boring. Give it a shot.

Word count: 5128

Summary: Dorian Remi had just asked the small advertisement firm WildKat to aid her in the opening of her new hotel in Shibuya. However, Neku, the head of the financial department, will learn of a crisis that can topple his company and land him and his coworkers into the slammer. Good thing Joshua is there to help.

Author's note: I was watching a show, and I was like, "OMG, I can run with this." If it seems similar to the original show, that's because I built the plot around it, but I tried to make some differences anyways. Oh, and another thing. I'm not sure, but **is Daisukenojo supposed to be the family name or is Bito the family name???**

Disclaimer: I do not own TWEWY, its characters, or the show that I based my opening on.

* * *

_The building was beautiful, and the gasps on the couple's face showed it. Together they walked through the large revolving doors and into the lobby where the heads of staff waited along the sides of the carpet leading to the glass elevator. As the couple grasped each other's hand tightly, they stared in wonder at the extensive interior design. They were oblivious to the bows of the staff before eagerly stepping into the elevator._

_Their room was beautiful too. Beige drapes hung around the large circular bed as the Jacuzzi whirred in the balcony beyond the wall of glass. The sunlight bathed the room in a white glow as everything shone. The theme of the room that they had chosen showed clearly on the walls and on the counters of the washroom and kitchen - marble. White and grey swirled together in a mix with splashes of black, and the couple simply stood there before one had jumped the other._

_There was a large swimming pool on the roof. A workout gym, a games room, and a sports gym were among the utilities offered on the 29th floor. The 5 star restaurant would be found on the 15th floor. It was paradise._

"This is the promotional video that we had Sheep Heavenly do for us. What did you think of it, Bito-san?" The woman asked.

"Uh...well..." Daisukenojo Bito (otherwise known as Beat) scratched the back of his head, "I'd have to say that it's kinda plain...y'know?" He answered carefully. Dorian Remi regarded him coolly before nodding her head.

"Yes, that's what I had thought of it too." She agreed softly before staring up to the screen before her where the video was being replayed.

Dorian Remi, the powerful CEO of Sparkle Hotels, was known internationally as an ice queen. It was said that it once took a company in the United States three years of preparation and presentations regarding the lawn layout of her newest project in order to satisfy her views. It was common knowledge that even if one company met her expectations, there was an extremely high possibility of her moving her project to another. Employees of the failed companies would complain that they just went through a nightmare.

However, if Dorian Remi was satisfied with one company and actually stayed, their business and reputation would shoot through the roof. A highly valuable opportunity.

"I'd like you to now hear my proposition." Dorian spoke softly. All persons in the room gave her their full attention. She, however, zoned into only one person.

"If your company, Hanekoma-san, can show me a better promotional video, then I will guarantee that," She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts, "all advertisement for my new hotel in Shibuya will be controlled by you." The room sucked in a collective breath, and the look on Hanekoma Sanae's face was priceless.

"A-all advertisement? Does that include the slogan, posters, commercials... everything?" Daisukenojo Raimu (nicknamed Rhyme) asked quietly. Dorian gave her a curt nod. The room was instantly filled with small murmurs from one department head to another.

"Holy shit!" Beat breathed to his sister sitting at his side. "This just came out of nowhere, didn't it, Rhyme?" The petite girl just nodded through her excitement. The two siblings were the heads of the video department.

"If we pull this off, man, our reputation totally skyrockets, dude!" Sota, head of the social department, grinned happily at the girl to his side. Nao, his assistant and girlfriend, looked up at him with glittering eyes and nodded her head. "Like, totally!"

"Neku! This is our chance to make it big!" Misaki Shiki poked at his arm with a small smile, her large glasses falling cutely down her flushed nose. Sakuraba Neku glanced sideways at the head of the design department.

"Well..." Neku started. He folded his hands and stared at the serene CEO who was curiously observing their reactions. "I'm not sure."

"What!" Shiki frowned. "This is a great opportunity knocking on our door! We've just got to open it!" Her shout gained the attention of the other department heads.

"It's just that...it's just too good of an opportunity, you know?" Neku murmured as he looked steadily at Dorian who was now staring back with a calm smile.

"I agree. This is just too good to be true." Rhyme nodded from across the table. Beat slammed his fist against the wood.

"Yo lady! What's the catch!" He yelled out. He was instantly slapped upside the head and given dirty looks from his co-workers in the room. He blushed and looked down as Rhyme gave him a sympathetic pat on the head. Dorian chuckled.

"I know this is a large opportunity. However," She said, standing up, "This is an all or nothing deal. Either you take the job, or I will go elsewhere." Sota and Shiki jumped to their feet.

"Dorian-san, please wait! I'm sure we will be able to take on your project and give you a full satisfactions worth!" Shiki reassured from beside Neku. Sota from beside her nodded in agreement.

"Like, we can totally do this!" He grinned and pumped his fist in the air. Rhyme and Beat (whose vision was still pointed to the ground) gave their consent as well.

"If everyone here thinks they can, then the department of finance has no problem with it either." Neku smiled slightly from his seat. "I think...it might be fun for this type of challenge to our employees. It's our first big project." Dorian nodded, a smile gracing her lips.

"You have all decided, but what about your president? Without his consent this project cannot be given to you." She folded her arms, and everyone's gaze turned towards the frowning president.

"Come on, Mr. H! It'll be fun! Just think about what happens if we succeed!" Shiki cheered from her seat. The rest were about to open their mouths when Hanekoma raised his hand to stop them.

"I've decided." He said in a firm tone, and stood to face Dorian. "We will not be taking this project. I'm sorry." He bowed slightly. There was a silence throughout as his employees gaped at him in shock.

"What a pity. Even if everyone else thinks they can handle it, in the end its your boss that doesn't believe in you." She sighed. "That's fine. I will look for someone else to replace you." Dorian replied coolly, and marched her way out the door with her assistants scrambling behind her. The door clicked close when the department heads jumped him.

"Mr. H! What were you thinking! Do you know what we could have done, what we could have been!" Shiki scolded.

"Yo man, you gotta believe in us! We could totally take that project on and ground it into dust!" Beat roared. Protests began to pile up on an unresponsive president. Neku remained quiet and observed his boss.

"Mr. H. What are you so afraid of?" Rhyme murmured sadly. Finally, Hanekoma sighed.

"I just don't think we have the resources to pull this off." Hanekoma shook his head. "Not enough money, not enough staff. We're better off if we take on other multiple projects than just this big one. We also have a better chance in profiting off those multiple projects then gambling our chances on this big one. Sorry, everyone." With that, he stood and walked out of the conference room. Everyone slouched in their chairs in depression after that.

"Well...there goes that." Sota muttered. "This blows." Nao patted his shoulder sympathetically. Shiki and Rhyme heaved out sighs simultaneously. Neku, however, furrowed his brows.

"Mr. H usually isn't that scared. I wonder what's wrong?" He murmured to himself. If anybody had heard, they didn't answer. Packing up his papers, he stood to leave. The rest of the room started to follow reluctantly. As Neku reached for the door handle, he was nearly hit by the door and fell as a figure rushed in.

"Mr. H! What are you doing!" Shiki asked in shock as she rushed to help Neku back to his feet. The orangehead glared at the panting man softly before accepting her hand.

"Uh...how do I put this. Do you guys still want to do that project?" Hanekoma asked awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. The faces of his employees told him the answer as they lit up excitedly.

"Fine then. Dorian will be sending us the information by email," He smiled and slouched into a relaxed form, "so everybody work hard, okay?" Cheers sounded from the room as everybody celebrated. Neku walked over to the smirking president.

"Are you okay, Mr. H? Why the sudden change of heart?" Neku asked suspiciously. Hanekoma threw back his head and laughed loudly.

"Not sure what you're talking about, Phones!" He roared in laughter. Neku frowned and crossed his arms.

"You've known me for years now, and you keep calling me Phones. I don't wear them anymore, you know." Neku said darkly.

"Eh?" Hanekoma blinked. Then he laughed again.

"Right, right. Sorry Phones! Habit." He grinned before leaving. Neku heaved a sigh before following, leaving the cheering crowd behind.

"Hey Neku!" His assistant yelled out of his cubicle as he neared his office. "We heard! This is great!" Shuto jumped excitedly in the air. Disturbed papers flew to the ground from their stacks, but that was ignored. Neku chuckled despite himself.

"Sure is. Now pick those papers up, then get everyone to meet in my office in ten." Neku instructed as he watched Shuto's face fall when he looked around at the mess he had made. "Get someone to help you." He said before entering his office in amusement. Suddenly, Neku stopped and stepped out once more. Shuto and Dan were on their hands and knees picking up the paper.

"Oh yea, and Shuto?" He called airily. The boy looked up curiously.

"Yea?" He asked without getting up.

"Tell everybody to get ready." Neku smirked as he turned to enter his office. "Don't even think about getting home early tonight." At that, he closed the door to his office, missing Shuto's wail of disappointment.

* * *

One in the morning, and Neku's team weren't even half done looking over the finance papers sent over by Dorian. By now Shuto and Dan weren't even registering the words on the paper and was swaying back and forth in their chairs. Amy was in the same state, although she tried her best to shake herself awake before falling asleep again. Neku himself was on his third cup of espresso. Looking at his watch, he sighed before shaking his team awake.

"Hey guys, it's late. Go home, have a good rest, I'll see you tomorrow." Their faces lit up, and one by one they left after thanking the man profusely. It wasn't long before Neku was all alone in his office, with his table covered in graphs and numbers. He grunted lightly as he felt his vision waver and stood to make himself some more coffee. When he returned, he slouched in his chair and looked over the same papers that he had been staring at for the past hour. Suddenly, he sat upright and frowned in confusion at the sheet up of paper in his hand.

"Where did all these numbers come from?" He grumbled out loud as he traced his finger down the sheet of paper that described the CEO's budget for her new hotel. Frowning, he grabbed a file from Shuto's pile and flipped through that, his weariness momentarily forgotten. As he reached the last page, he furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Where did all this extra money come from?" He growled. "These numbers just don't add up, and there's no reference as to how the money got here." Angrily, he marched over to his computer in a haze and typed up a quick email. Without checking it over as he usually did, he sent the email and barely wrapped himself in something warm before passing out.

* * *

The morning found Neku wrapped in his jacket on the floor having fell out of his chair and slumbering peacefully when his staff silently filed in. Amy and Dan shot each other knowing looks as Shuto bounced over (as only he could in the mornings) and happily shook the sleepy man awake.

"Rise and shiiiiine, Neku! Wakey-wakey!" He sang. The orangehead grumbled under his breath darkly before slowly opening his eyes. Pushing his assistant away, he rubbed a hand over his face before fully registering his surroundings.

"...What are you guys doing in my house?" He asked, blinking away the weariness in his eyes.

"Uh...boss? You're at the office." Amy said quietly as she took a seat at the table. Dan followed her. Shuto grinned and laughed before plopping himself down as well. Neku, however, just blinked in confusion.

"What? Wh-oh. Oooh." He finally realized. Then, with the most composure he could muster under his circumstances, he walked out of the room. He left his three employees laughing in his wake.

Neku entered the rather large men's washroom slowly in order to prevent himself to going back to work. Slouching towards the nearest sink, he took his sweet time in splashing himself in the face to feel more awake. Coffee all the time was unhealthy, after all. After a few splashes, Neku breathed deeply before raising his head to stare at his reflection in the mirror. His blue eyes found nothing wrong with his appearance so far.

Until they darted to the right and found a smirking silveret with violet eyes staring straight into the mirror from behind him.

"Waah!" Neku yelped as he rapidly turned around and tried to back up-only to hit his hip against the sink. Cursing loudly, he temporarily forgot the now giggling man as he held his hip and winced.

"Good job, Neku." Said a smooth voice. Neku's head snapped up violently to stare in shock at the smirking man who had his arms folded.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" He snapped as he lowered himself into a rather defensive stance with a hurting hip. The silveret giggled.

"Tsk tsk. How rude. My name is Yoshiya Kiryu...or you could call me Joshua." Joshua smirked and offered no other information. Meanwhile, Neku's thoughts were going a mile a minute.

_What the hell! This guys just pops out of nowhere! And he knows my name. Who is he, really?_ Neku frowned. "You still didn't tell me how you know my name." Joshua laughed lightly.

"Details, details." He sang, waving his hand in dismissal. Neku growled lightly, and seeing that his hip didn't hurt as much anymore, he stood to leave.

"Well, I guess I could tell you that I read your email last night." Joshua thought out loud, his finger on his chin in thought. Neku reeled in shock, nearly hitting the sink again in the process.

"Wha-How? I sent that directly into Dorian's email!" He snapped. The man across from him giggled, and started to slowly walking towards him.

"...What are you doing?" Neku asked carefully as he eyed the man who was shortening the distance in between them. "Hey, what-mmf!" A pair of lips crashing suddenly into his cut him off. For a moment all Neku could do was blink and stare in confusion as violet eyes that never closed peered right into his. Then, he realized his situation.

Gathering his strength into his arms that was trapped in between their two bodies, the orangehead pushed against the blue buttoned shirt as hard as he could. He was rewarded when the opposing appendages left his lips, and his mind did a quick victory dance.

It was cut off when Joshua snatched both his hands, slammed them into the mirror behind him and proceeded to kiss him senseless anyways. By now, Neku would realise later, he should be kicking and screaming with all his might, feeling the pain that the broken glass was causing his hands, or the bruising grip of his one hand on both of his wrists. Instead, all he felt was the sensation of the silveret's moving lips against his, the friction that the knee in between his legs was causing his crotch to feel, and a wandering hand that was massaging his hip. Unconsciously, Neku groaned lightly into the kiss.

When they finally broke away from each other, Joshua watched as a panting Neku slid to the floor, holding two fingers to his lips. The standing one giggled.

"Aw, Neku! Don't tell me that was your first kiss!" He laughed. On the ground, Neku clenched and unclenched his hand, while screaming "Of course not, you bastard!" back with a face that was so red that it outdid his hair.

"Course it wasn't." Joshua agreed, though albeit sarcastically. Walking closer once again, he squatted down to Neku's eye level. His hands gripped tightly onto the orangehead's bony shoulders before whispering in his ear.

"You must be wondering what the extra funding into the project means, right?" Joshua kneaded his shoulders. "I can answer all of your questions...for a price." Neku's eyes widened before he pushed the offending man away.

"Screw you! I'll just ask Dorian myself!" With that, he stormed towards the door leaving a smirking figure on the floor.

"...You sure you want to do that?" A voice called out before he laid his hand on the exit. "I'll tell you a secret. Dorian isn't going to answer any of your questions. And she's not going to let you disclose it publicly. And you know why?" Neku turned, his face showing his slight horror, "Because it's illegal, that's why. Dorian has her sources that gets her money to fund her projects illegally while she keeps her profits to herself."

"B-but -" Neku started before getting harshly cut off by a standing Joshua who was now brushing off invisible dust from his clothes.

"I'll tell you something else too, since I'm feeling nice. This particular project has caught the attention of the authorities, and they're ready to bust out any company or individual who has associated themselves with Sparkle Hotels.

"Now usually what Dorian does is that she goes and finds multiple companies to do a single aspect. For example, she might find five companies on advertisement alone. Now why would she give the entire responsibility on a low key, barely known company such as WildKat? Hm?" Neku's eyes widened.

"...To save costs. To save reputation, since the less collateral damage there is the more she can be able to save face. Because we won't gain media attention as much as Sheep Heavenly or whatever." Neku rambled off reasons. Joshua simply watched and giggled.

"At this point, Neku dear, this is a race between you and Dorian. Expose her secret fundings and she will lose, sit in jail while you are off scott free. If she wins and her hotel is built, she can blame you guys and you guys could get busted and have to sit in the slammer...well, then say goodbye to your job and anything else in relation." The silveret finished dramatically. He carefully watched the withdrawn man who had one hand in his pocket and the other massaging his opposite shoulder. He was in deep thought, and Joshua giggled. Neku slowly raised his eyes to meet the silveret.

"If you want to win, you need proof. But trust me, you're never going to find any...unless you have help." Joshua concluded. Neku narrowed his eyes.

"...What were you thinking as an asking price to start at?" He asked slowly, as if afraid to find the answer.

"I've a few ideas." Joshua said huskily before beckoning Neku to come closer. The latter took small, confused steps before he reached the smirking man. Cupping his face with his hand, Joshua leaned in. His other hand curled at his waist.

"...I'll contact you." With that, he turned on his heel and walked right out of the men's washroom without even looking back at the gaping orangehead. The said man blinked once, twice, before shaking his fist in anger at the door.

"What the hell!?"

* * *

By the time Neku had exited the washroom, he had cleaned himself up again in peace and left as if there had been no encounter whatsoever. His assistants stared when he entered (apparently, as Shuto will tell him later, he had been gone for almost an hour) but said nothing as he calmly took his seat and discussed the documents in front of them. The four worked steadily and quietly as they crunched numbers, checked, re-checked, and triple checked all the numbers that they were given. At one point Amy was instructed to write a report detailing how much money would be ideal to be used in order to make their advertisements.

In other words, a relatively busy yet boring work day.

Three o'clock, and Neku felt that he had no more energy to work. Wearily, he ordered his assistants home ("Amy, I still want that report on my desk first thing!") before retiring to his computer. He nearly forgot to check his email before he shut down, but wished he did when he opened his inbox.

_From: Yoshiya; Subject: The deal_

"Shit." Neku cursed bluntly before reluctantly clicking to open.

_Hello, Neku._

_I have to say that you are quite adept at writing emails to important persons such as Dorian. If I haven't intercepted, I'd say she wouldn't be very pleased. Next time, please refrain from using sentences such as "Tell me where you got your numbers from, or I will go to the police!", will you? It's highly unprofessional._

'Shut it, bastard!' Neku thought angrily, but kept reading anyways.

_However, I digress. We made a deal today, did we not? I have in my possession five pieces of proof that will take down Dorian and her lovely hotels. Do not forget that if you cannot build a solid case that will topple her, or that if you let things go the way they are going now, you and your company will end up in jail. Isn't that a happy thought?_

_Five pieces of evidence, five favours from you. Sound fair? Meet me in the basement parking lot in your office building. Three-thirty, or else the deal is off._

_Love, Joshua_

"Three thirty?" Neku read aloud. He reached to slowly close the window before his eyes caught the time.

"Three fifteen!" He nearly screamed as he read the digital clock on his desk. "I've got to bolt!" Hastily he grabbed all his things and shoved them harshly into his briefcase. Shoving his coat over his arm, he barely remembered to turn off his computer and lights before running out of the office and almost into the elevator. He nervously bounced from one foot to another while waiting, and once in the enclosed space, repetitively slammed his thumb into the 'basement' button hoping he will arrive faster.

He jumped into the parking lot just as his watched beeped three thirty. Neku breathed a sigh of immense relief before doubling over from too much stress on his nerves. _Holy shit._ He thought to himself before raising his head and looking around. _Where is he?_ Straightening his back, he waited anxiously in front of the basement door, continuously looking in all directions for a sight of a silver haired man.

Joshua, of course, did show up in the end. Around ten minutes late. He pulled up to a raging Neku in a small, modest, red classic mini cooper. He reached across the passenger seat to smile slyly at the man, asking, "Hope you were here on time, Neku."

"What the hell!" Neku roared, his patience thrown away eons ago. "Of course I was here on time! What the hell were YOU?"

Joshua shrugged in disregard. "I was caught up in some things." He replied smoothly. "Now, get in." Neku stared.

"_What?_" He gaped before eyeing the silveret (who was now rolling his eyes in displeasure) in suspicion. "I'm not going to go anywhere with you." He declared.

"Silly, silly Neku. I guess you want to sit in jail then." Joshua giggled. "That's fine with me, you know." The orangehead looked around desperately, as if the surroundings could give him a clue as to what to do next. Then, he sighed before opening the car door and plopping himself inside.

"Where are we going?" He asked exasperatedly. Joshua gave a smirk before flooring out of the basement. "You're going to change."

* * *

Joshua, to Neku's pleasant surprise, drove him to his apartment. As they arrived at the complex, the wary passenger turned to stare at his driver. "How did you know where I live?" He asked tiredly. Joshua giggled.

"Change, and be back in five. Casual wear, alright?" He replied, and Neku, tired from arguing, sighed before leaving the car. Slowly walking towards the elevators, he roughly gave the security guard a nod before jabbing his finger into the 'up' button. From waiting for the elevator, to trudging to his door on the fifth level, Neku carefully thought of nothing. There really wasn't any use of panicking or getting angry. At this point, all he could do was go with the flow, and that was what, as he pulled on a white shirt with blue vertical stripes, he intended to do.

Sure enough, he returned to a patient Joshua who raked his eyes over Neku's outfit before nodding in satisfaction. As the orangehead climbed back into the passenger seat, Joshua started the car and started to drive out of the parking space once the door was closed. Neku scowled as he quickly put on his seatbelt, and without looking at the other man, asked, "Where are we going?"

"My first favour from you, dear. Go on a date with me." Joshua answered instead. Neku's gaze shot to the serenely smiling man before furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"...what?" He stared.

"Go out on a date with me. I've already got everything prepa-" Joshua repeated before Neku cut him off.

"A _date_? Between two guys? Can't you ask anybody else?" He snapped. "I mean, why me?" Joshua giggled.

"Don't be silly. You're just convenient, and I wanted something to do. Really, if you look at it my way," He smiled, looking at Neku as he slowed to a stop in front of the red light, "it's really better than anything else that I could have told you to do." Neku grumbled, but didn't argue. There really were worst things that could have happened.

"Will you at least tell me where we are going?"

"Tsk, tsk. Patience is a virtue, you know."

The groaning man barely caught himself before slamming his head against the window.

* * *

In a surprising move for a man who could intercept Dorian's emails, they pulled up in front of one of the more popular ramen bars in town. Neku got out staring at the _Ramen Don_ sign as Joshua walked from around the corner having parked his car at the back.

"Ever been here before, Neku?" The silveret asked as they entered the establishment.

"Yea, years ago. Back then nobody knew about this place, and Ken Don was the guy who ran it." Neku said, nodding as they found two seats at the bar.

"Heh. That really is years ago. Ever tried his son's recipes?" He leaned against the table, staring up at the menu hanging overhead.

"Not really. Never found the time to." Neku shrugged as he picked out his old favourite.

"Shame. The shio ramen he makes is almost identical." At that, Joshua caught the attention of one of the chefs and ordered; Neku followed right after. "It's plain, and it's simple. Suits me perfectly."

"Hm. I've always liked all of his creations, but I do feel like shoyu tonight." The other commented, shrugging lightly. Joshua made a face.

"But the soup is salty!"

"But you're the one who's ordering ramen with a salted base!"

"That's different, Neku."

"How is that different!?"

"Well, you see..." Joshua was momentarily interrupted as their food orders were placed happily in front of them. But even then their conversation did not cease. They argued as they ate their food, they debated as they walked to the car after fighting over who was paying the bill (Joshua had insisted that Neku pay while the latter had flatly refused; he gave in later to stop bothering business), and they had heated discussions as the silveret drove. The thought of where they were going didn't even cross Neku's mind until the car stopped and the engine turned off.

"I'm telling you, th-where are we?" Neku blinked as he broke off from his train of thought to look bewilderedly out the windows. Joshua giggled.

"Can't even recognize your own apartment complex, Neku?" Joshua asked with a smirk on his face. The addressed blushed hotly, yelled out a "Shut up!" before scrambling to unbuckle his seatbelt. His hand paused before opening the car door. Turning to Joshua, he frowned in confusion.

"...wait. That's it?" He asked. Joshua raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Neku flushed and started to look around nervously.

"Well...this! This is your favour? This is all you wanted me to do?" He waved his hands around in a lack of a better idea to describe what 'this' was. The driver giggled.

"Unless you wanted to do something else...?" He asked, a sly grin growing on his face. Neku sputtered before pushing the door open, scrambling out, and slamming the door shut without a hint of a proper farewell. Joshua watched as Neku ran into the complex, giggling all the way.

"How cute."

* * *

"Boss, are you feeling alright?" Asked Amy as she walked into Neku's office. The said man looked up in surprise from his computer screen, coffee cup in one hand. He furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Yeah, I'm okay. What's up?" He replied. Amy walked up and placed the report on his desk before cocking her head to the side, peering at her boss curiously.

"No, it's just that...hm. Never mind." She nodded in resolve before excusing herself. Neku stared at the door before shaking his head. _Must be a woman thing,_ he concluded. With that, he downed his coffee before re-reading the email that Joshua had sent him surprisingly early.

_Dear Neku,_

_Good job on completing my first favour. I must say that I rather enjoyed myself._

_My second favour from you will take place a week from now. In other words, please get yourself excused from work, as you will be taking me to do something of your choice. Do something that's not boring, alright, Neku?_

_Love, Joshua._

_P.S. Check out bank accounts SP57183r5 and DR78125s33. _

Neku wasted no time in pulling out the files. Date planning can be set for later.

* * *

Author's note: Okay, I'm stopping here. I thought of this idea maybe about...three or four weeks ago, and never really realised how much I still need to write before completing it. Sooo....hahaha. I didn't intend for it to be this long. It just...happened. Can you tell at some parts I got lazy? If you can...I...oh, I don't know...I'll give you a cookie. =D

Which reminds me. I need help from you guys!!! **I can't find any Neku and Joshua smex ANYWHERE, so if you guys have any links please send them to mee!!** Forever grateful!!


	5. Through Understanding a Restaurant

**Chapter 5: Through Understanding a Restaurant…**

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: I'm sorry if my ideas didn't really get communicated across properly…

Word Count: 5208 – ish

Summary: After losing his job and doing his best to avoid going home, Neku stumbles across a little café.

Author's note: Sorry for the late update~ it's been a while, right? This actually turned out longer than I thought it would be, but it should be okay. All drink references come from a friend of mine. Thanks, hun!

* * *

Neku stepped into the cafe, tense and uneasy. This place was hard to find. Out of the way from normal traffic blocks, and its presence was indicated outside only by a small sign that hung over the slim door. In fact, Neku had to walk through many alleys and back streets just to find the secluded cafe that was tucked away from the world.

Of course, he wasn't really looking for the place - who would recommend such a creepy cafe that took so much trouble to get to? - but he wasn't really looking to go anywhere else either. Neku was really just walking around, avoiding to go home to the wife (but if anybody asks, he was lost in the new city that he was brought into only a few months ago by his mother-in-law who suggested they move out of the country side).

It's not like he didn't love his wife. No, Shiki was more than he could ever ask for. Kind, loyal, and pretty - the one that the other guys in his small town would have fought over had she didn't have Neku constantly in her mind. It was almost inevitable that they wound up together; through leaps and bounds and falls, but everyone, even the two of them, knew anyways.

He got fired from his job today. Can't hire a country bumpkin who doesn't even know how to operate computers properly, his boss had said. Not enough time to train him. Not enough money to keep him around, among with other mish mash that was thrown at him. Nonsense. If they didn't have enough money to keep him, then why hire him in the first place?

Shiki's mother had gotten him that job. And while of course she had their best interests in mind, had the husband go and work in one of the lower paying jobs that she could have gotten them. Even with the job Neku could barely keep Shiki's luxuries in place - lucky for them that they are forced to go over to the in-laws every Sunday for dinner, where Mother would keep a strict eye on their every move.

So what was Neku going to do? He'll have to look for a job, of course. Neku looked at his watch before sighing. Job hunting will have to wait until tomorrow. Any other place would be closed at 10 pm at night.

Every other place, of course, except for the tucked away cafe that Neku had found when he was "lost". The sign didn't stand out (made of wood and painted with black and red) nor was it any significant against the dark background behind it - yet Neku's eyes were instantly drawn to it anyways. It had that sort of feel to it, I suppose.

And so, never forgetting the horror stories of the city told to him in his youth, he stepped through the door (painted an odd white) and into a place that turned out to be a smaller cafe. There were no customers, and the lights were low. Tables were pressed against the wall and their chairs propped upside down upon them - all except for one, standing proudly before the barista's counter. Neku walked up to it, and the sight made his eyebrows shoot up. Curious, the table and chair were. An antique pair, its legs crooked and made of wood with slivers splitting out from it like the ones from a tremendous bug; the table was flat and glossy from the glass that showed the intricate network of support behind it; the back of the chair had two pieces that broke from the main frame and stretched itself towards the ceiling.

"Why don't you sit?" A voice came from behind Neku. He spun around shocked and locked eyes with a gentleman who walked in from the door behind the bar. The man was tall, with pale skin and eyes a sharp violet. He wore what was stereotypical of a waiter, and his silver hair was tied back in a small ponytail with messy tendrils framing his sharp face.

"No, that's fine. I'm sorry, are you closed?" Neku asked, gripping the handle of his briefcase tightly. Maybe, if they have it, he will get a pastry for Shiki.

"No, we are not." The silver haired man replied before taking a class from the counter and rubbing it with a rag. "Can I get you anything?" Neku stood there and thought. What was Shiki's favourite drink again?

"You seem to have a bit of trouble. Are you looking for something hot or cold?" Neku pondered about that too.

"Well...something cold for me, and hot for the missus." He answered, finally. The silver haired man hummed quietly before setting down the glass he was wiping behind him.

"Well, do you have anything in mind?" He asked.

"...A chai latte. She's health conscious." Neku answered, vaguely knowing that that is the drink she always gets, and that he will have no clue what the waiter will say next. Something about fat content, caloric value, and other terms that he will never use or understand - he'd tried.

"That's fine. Why don't I use the skim milk and put a splash of the 2% for taste?" Neku blinked.

"Um...sure." The waiter giggled and set to his task. "Anything for yourself?

"I'm not quite sure." He said. The waiter hummed lightly.

"Well, do you like sweets?"

Neku gave a jump at the sudden question. "Pardon?"

"Do you like sweet drinks?" The man repeated, his back turned against Neku as he mixed and swirled liquids together.

"Yea, I'm okay with it." Neku answered. That was a lie, but he's going to have to get used to sweets if Shiki won't stop serving him sugar cookies and chocolates for desert.

"Then I'll mix you a chilled hot chocolate then." The man turned and fixed his violet eyes with Neku's blue ones. "They're going to take a short while, so why don't you take a seat?" Violet eyes trailed down and up, giving Neku a once-over. "You look like a business man...you must be tired after a long day of work, then getting drinks." He turned and focused on his task once more. "Sit."

At a loss of what to do, Neku sat. The chair was - surprisingly - not uncomfortable as he would have thought it would be. He could, however, deal with taking off the two antennas poking out from the top of his chair and up.

"You look stressed, too." Neku jumped again and looked forward. The man had taken a seat across from him.

"Don't you have drinks to mix?"

"I had to turn the machines on again. That will take a while. It's an old place." Neku gave a mildly surprised look.

"I thought you said that you weren't closed." The man giggled.

"I never said we were open either." Neku flushed and looked away. A hush grew upon them.

"Have you ever worked in a restaurant before?" The man commented lightly. Neku looked up and stared.

"Well...yes. Kind of. Back in my hometown. I don't see how this is any of your business, though." Neku replied, crossing his arms in defense.

"I used to work in a restaurant before coming here. I used to be a busser. You?"

"...dishwasher. It was my parent's place, and they needed someone. Because I was underage, they took the old dishwasher and got him to bus while I washed dishes out of sight. Still don't know how this is any of your business." Neku fussed and looked up in surprise as his companion sighed.

"That's lucky. I wish I washed dishes." Upon Neku's strange look, he giggled.

"Well...it's hard to explain. Have you noticed that a restaurant is like a cycle of life and death?" Neku frowned and looked away.

"No."

"Well, it is. Let's look at the facts: we have customers coming in, and the host takes them to their seat. The waiter comes and takes their order, gets their drinks and their food - just basically taking care of their dietary needs. Their food will be cooked up by the cooks, prepped by the food runners, and eventually escorted out to them. Then they finish eating, and the plates are taken up by the bussers. The table that is messy after the customers leave is cleaned up by the bussers too. All the dirty dishes will then be given to the dishwasher, who does his best to wash the dishes as quickly and effectively as possible. The plates will be given to the cooks for more food, the cups to the waiters for more drinks, and the cycle repeats again."

By now Neku is zoning out of the conversation. "Yes, and what of it?" An electronic beep was heard. Neku watched as the silver haired man stood and walked behind the counter to attend to his drinks.

"Now, look at it this way." The man continued as he started to work. "A new child comes into the world, and they are taken by their parents to where they want their child to stand in the world, be it doctors, lawyers, whatever. In return, the parents will fuss over them, take care of them, and deal with whatever needs they have. By some type of force, be it friendship, love, or even through manipulative strength, they are happy and at the peak of their life. Then everything goes downhill. They might have lost their job, lost a loved one, their house gets burned down - whatever. Eventually they die - and their souls, should you or should you not believe in them - they recycle. This is the cycle of life. Surely you have heard of this?"

Neku gave a nod slowly and watched as the man waltzed behind the counter, grabbing this and that. What was the fool doing? Oh yea. Mixing his drinks. Who were they for again?

"You've realised it by now, right?" His voice broke Neku out of his concentration. He looked up, startled.

"...What?" The waiter stopped his ministrations and looked up at his customer, annoyed.

"Were you listening to anything that I said?" He asked sharply. Neku shrugged.

"Something about the cycle of life compared to the cycle of restaurant business." He answered truthfully. The waiter sighed.

"Good enough. And so my conclusion is this: The customers are children. They come into the restaurant, not even born, yet probably still in the late stages of pregnancy - yet their parents already know what their child should be, just like an experienced host should know which table should be seated next even with the lack of customers. The cooks are the giver of life, the food, and the food runners, those who put the finishing touches, deliver this essence of life to the now-born children. They will eat and grow, and it will be their happiest time, just like eating food would make anyone happy - dopamine, you know. Then they finish, they crash - their food is done, and if that's done then are they still happy? Theoretically, no. Once their happiness (their food, if you will) is done, they fall and continue to fall. Desert? Momentary happiness after their fall. Maybe a second marriage, or a second job. And the customers leave the restaurant of life. They have died.

"The bussers will have the most gruesome job of all. They deal with death and everything else unpleasant. They take away the food that's finished - they take away happiness. And after the customers leave, die, they clear the mess without a second thought and wait for the next victim. They are vultures that will never be satiated with just one set of customers, and even if they don't know it, clean the space for new people to sit, eat, and die again." There was a long silence as Neku stared incredibly at the barista. The fore mentioned had stilled, gazing down at the cup that he was slowly stirring. Finally, he opened his mouth and spoke again.

"The dishwashers, on the other hand...they are truly the amazing ones! Just think! They take the evidence of death and erase them, yes - but what would they be used for? The cups will go back to the waiters, the plates back to the cooks - instruments that carry things to make people happy! They are like the rejuvenator, the god of resurrection, the giver of happiness. Cooks can't cook if they don't have plates to put food on. Waiters would not carry water in their cupped hands to hand-feed their clients. No." The silver haired man looked up and placed a drink on the counter. "Dishwashers are..." He trailed off.

Neku stared into open space as he silently contemplated about the analogy that the silver haired man had provided him with. Death and bussers? That's always a happy thought. Rejuvenating dishwashers?

"...you're crazy." Neku finally concluded with a definite thought. The silver haired man looked at him with an unreadable expression in his eyes before smirking.

"Maybe you're right. Shouldn't you be getting out of here, then?" He asked. Shaking his head clear of any other thoughts, Neku stood and walked in a daze towards the counter. However, when he reached his hand out to grab the two cups, he paused.

Six cups laid before him on the counter. Three steaming, and the other three not. Looking up, Neku glared into the glittering eyes of the other man.

"You didn't notice that I've made more than what you wanted, and different varieties too." He ignored the furious aura that emitted from the orangehead. "We'll play a game, okay? Take a nip at all the drinks and try to guess which ones you've ordered." Neku let out a small growl.

"Don't toy with me, I've got to get home." He declared. The violet eyes rolled.

"Of course you do. That's why you never paid attention to how many drinks I put on the counter, and why you've patiently waited for me to finish my story." He answered sarcastically. Leaning forward, he spoke: "You're not in any type of hurry at all. In fact, I'm ready to bet that you're actually avoiding going home." At Neku's turn of the head, the waiter stood straight with triumph.

"Don't forget that I used to be the busser. Anyone and everyone who has stepped into my cafe had had their plate taken away from them - they are never happy or smiling. What type of happy person would even lay eyes on my sign outside? Sad people pay attention to dark details like that." He smiled and waved his hand in the directions of the drinks.

"However, you, my friend, are a dishwasher! You give people happiness, not take it away from them like I do. You cannot be sad. I won't allow for such a thing." Neku whipped his head to glare at the self-righteous man.

"It's none of your business!" He lashed out. The man giggled.

"Of course it's not. That's why I'm not going to make you happy - you are. You say you wanted a chai latte for the missus. That means that you ought to know what it tastes like, right? The drinks on the counter are immensely different - I'm sure that you will find out which one she wants."

Neku looked down at the drinks and gulped. He's never tried his wife's chai latte before. He's never really need to. He looked up with pleading eyes. "Can't you just make me another chai latte and we can all go home happy?" The silver haired man regarded him coolly before giggling.

"Drink up, Romeo!" He sang. Resigning, Neku sighed. Shiki served him sugar cookies and chocolate for desert, for goodness sake. Surely she would like something sweet? Neku picked up the first drink and took a sip.

The drink was bitter, yet slightly sweet at the same time It was a dark brown, with a small layer of white foam on top. It almost tasted like those cheap mint chocolates they sold outside Chinese restaurants. Neku sighed and shook his head. At least there was still a small dab of bitterness at the end.

The second drink was sweet - very sweet. It was almost too sweet for his tastes. It was a mix of different spices; of cinnamon and of nutmeg, maybe? It was a light brown with a layer of white foam covering the top. Neku put the cup down quickly. Way too sweet for his tastes.

The final steaming drink was a clear dark brown; with a light brown creamy type of layer of foam on top. It had creamy texture to it; bitter, yet with a slight, slight dab of sweet. It tasted like heaven in his mouth.

"How could anyone not like this one?" He murmured softly, holding the cup close to his chest with two hands. The waiter scoffed.

"You'd be surprised." Neku shrugged with one shoulder – 'to each his own,' after all – before taking another sip.

"Well, do you have an answer?" The waiter asked casually while holding his head in his hand, leaning against the counter. Neku pondered.

Shiki likes sweet things. Shiki likes sweet things. Shiki likes sweet things. They were all sweet. Great, of course that would make it easier. Which one was most sweet, maybe she will like that one? No, maybe not. She served him dark chocolate for desert. Something around the middle, maybe?

"This one." Neku declared, pointing to the first cup on the counter. The dark liquid in the multicolored cup seemed to mock him – and suddenly he had a chill run through his spine.

"That, my dear fellow, is a chocolate mint latte. It is, you'll find, much less sweet than your chai latte that you had said your wife had wanted." The silver haired waiter looked up. "Haven't you tried your wife's drink before?" Neku glowered.

"No! I never had a reason to, so can we stop the games?" He growled lowly. The waiter merely sighed.

"That's depressing, don't you think? Oh well. What made you choose the chocolate mint anyways?" He asked lightly.

"…I didn't think Shiki would like drinks that sweet." Neku answered honestly. "She usually likes dark chocolate for desert, so…"

"You sure she doesn't serve regular chocolate just because you don't like them?" The silver haired man drawled, and Neku resisted the urge to strangle him.

"Just give me my damn drinks!" He nearly roared. He didn't really expect an answer in his favor, so he wasn't surprised at all to hear the barista giggle and deny his request.

"My poor, poor customer doesn't even know his wife to know even her personality and what type of drink would suit that personality best." He tsked and sighed. "Well, I hope you know yourself better." With that, he pushed the three cold drinks in front of Neku. "Drink."

Neku stared at the three plastic cups in front of him in despair. What had he done to earn himself such a nuisance the day he loses his job? Didn't he deserve enough? Neku looked at the chai latte sitting innocently on the counter. He should just take the cup and run home. Shiki's probably worried and sitting at home, glancing at the clock in despair, wondering when her husband of three months would be coming home.

"You aren't drinking?" The silver haired man's voice broke his thoughts. Neku groaned internally. The annoying man wouldn't let him go until he finished the game; might as well rush it.

"Shut up, I'm drinking." Neku grumbled to a smug waiter.

The first drink was an eerie looking drink; that he would admit. A red, wispy looking liquid rested on the bottom and the color faded quickly into the clear liquid on the top; like the setting sun slowly fading away from the sky. He sipped through the straw, and nearly gagged on the sweetness of the drink. "What is this?" He rasped, slamming the cup against the counter.

"Oh, you need to mix it or else you'd be drinking up pure syrup." The waiter giggled. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you."

Bitch! Neku thought vehemently in his head. Glaring at the giggling man, he pushed the cup as far away from him as he could and picked up the second cup.

The substance inside was thick and colored a dark brown with wisps of white and black mixed in. A dollop of whipped cream decorated the top with a straw lying horizontally on the rim underneath. Neku took a sip - and promptly gagged. The waiter neatly plucked the cup away from his hand as he doubled over beneath the counter, coughing into one hand and holding his stomach with the other.

"What the fuck!" He managed out. "Who the hell drinks that stuff?!" The silver haired man patted his back sympathetically while he sipped at Neku's unwanted drink.

"I don't know about you, but it's okay for me, I guess. It's not that bad." He said thoughtfully. Neku slapped his hand away and stood up properly once more.

"Whatever. I'm done with this stupid game. Good bye!" He yelled sharply, and once he had his briefcase in hand, took the two cups closest to him and left. He ignored the waiter's calls as he slammed the door.

* * *

"Neku, welcome home!" Shiki called out warmly as he walked in through the red door with a black handle. Neku did not answer; he just mechanically began to hang up his coat, put the briefcase on the floor and the drinks on the door-side table, and untie his shoes.

"Neku?" Shiki called out uncertainly. "Neku, is that you?"

"Yeah." He called back in an exhausted tone. He put his shoes on the shoe rack, and walked towards the kitchen where he was met with a flying hug from his wife.

"Geez, Neku! Why didn't you answer me when I said 'Welcome home!' You scared me!" Shiki murmured playfully into their hug. Neku sighed, and loosened his grip from around his wife.

"Neku?" Shiki asked, suddenly concerned at his unwillingness to hold her. "Neku, is something wrong?"

Neku gave another sigh, and took his wife by the hand. Ignoring her alarmed look, she allowed him to lead her to the kitchen table, and sat on the chair he pulled out for her. As soon as she was sitting, he quickly walked back to grab the drinks before scurrying back.

"Here." He muttered, setting her drink down in front of him. She smiled uncertainly at her husband as he took a seat beside her, and cradled her drink.

"What's this?" She asked. He smiled.

"Chai latte." He replied. She giggled lightly and smiled warmly at him.

"Thanks!" She grinned, before frowning slightly. "But Neku, is there something wrong?" She raised the cup to her lips.

"Well – " He began.

"Oh my god!" Shiki squealed. "Where did you get this? I've never had such a good chai latte before!" Neku looked up, surprised.

"What?" He asked numbly. Shiki beamed and sipped at her drink again.

"No, really! It is! Whoever mixed this drink is a genius." She nodded, and smiled.

"Sorry Neku, I interrupted you. What were you saying again?" Neku blinked, and did not speak for some time. Shiki waited for him patiently.

"Well, I left my job. BUT! Don't freak out yet, Shiki. I'm going to get a job at the place where I got that latte of yours." Neku explained hastily. She stared at him in shock, and he shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"…Right." She finally said. "Is this going to be a stable job, Neku? Are we going to have to move, or make any changes? I can ask my mother to recommend you for another position - "

"No, no, I'll be fine." Neku interrupted almost immediately. "Don't want to bother your mom too much." Shiki sighed, and nodded.

"Okay, we'll see how it goes. If this job can't support us, Neku, then we are going straight to my mom." She said sharply, and he sighed internally.

"Okay, Shiki." He agreed, and she stood with her latte.

"Want some dinner?" She asked, and he followed her into the kitchen.

* * *

The bell rang as he opened the door into the café early in the morning. Strange. There wasn't any bells last night, were they just installed?

"Welcome!" A voice greeted him joyfully. Neku looked up to see a mid-aged man with a pair of black shades and a small stubble on his chin. He was wearing the same uniform as the silver haired man he was talking to last night.

"Are you the manager?" Neku asked quietly. The man with the shades frowned.

"Well, I guess. Sort of. Sure." He replied, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not one officially, but I take care of the duties anyways. What can I help you with?"

"Are you hiring?" asked Neku as he strode up to the counter. Shades blinked before shaking his head sadly.

"Sorry, n-"

"Sanae?" A voice called from the back. "Is there a problem?" A door behind the counter opened, and – surprise, surprise – the silver haired man from yesterday stepped out. Only now his hair was loose and in even more of a mess than it was yesterday, and he wasn't wearing the uniform. He yawned, stretched, and slowly turned to look at Neku who was now looking down at his shoes.

"Oh. Hello, dishwasher." He greeted with a smirk. "What brings you here? Don't you have a job to do?" Neku sighed harshly and looked up with a firm glare.

"…No, actually. No I don't." He answered quietly. The silver haired man hummed for a moment before turning over to Shades.

"Think you need help, Sanae?" He asked. Sanae shrugged.

"Whatever you say, boss." He answered, and Neku's eyebrows shot up. Millions of questions popped up in his head, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Well then." The "boss" turned around and stared straight at Neku who did his best to keep up the eye contact without blushing at the intense gaze. "What was your name again?"

"Neku." He answered. "Sakuraba Neku." The silver haired man nodded.

"Joshua. Everyone else calls me Josh, though." He said, finally introducing himself. "Why are you looking for a job here, Neku? I'm sure that the pay anywhere else would be better than this place, and it's boring since we don't usually get a lot of customers. In other words, Neku," he smirked and leaned closer. "Why should I hire you, if the possibility of you leaving in less than a month is so high?"

Neku swallowed and stuck his hands in his pockets. A bad habit.

"Well, uh…" He started, shifting from foot to foot. He looked up, and saw the both of them staring at him. Flushing, he quickly looked away and took deep breaths to calm down.

"I was thinking about what you said last night – about bussers and dishwashers?" Joshua nodded lightly. "Well, I remember that you said that the only people who step in here are people who were sad or depressed. Your sign is so small that only those people who pay attention to dark details would notice it."

"It is?" Sanae muttered surprised, scratching the back of his head while sipping at his espresso. "I've never noticed."

"You said you were a busser, and that's why you only get customers when they are at the lowest peak of their life. And that's why I want to work here." Neku took a deep breath and stared up at Joshua's curious ones. "I'm a dishwasher, giver of happiness – I want to be able to lift them up out of that depression and get them on their merry way. I know what it feels like to be in a depression; I was like that last night. I got fired from my job, my mother-in-law was going to make Shiki and I divorce, and I couldn't support Shiki. If I can, maybe those who come here, depressed like I was last night, can walk out feeling a bit happier.

"Also, I've noticed…last night, I barely knew my wife. Thinking back, how could I have chosen the wrong drink? My wife is a very bubbly girl who enjoys life and what she does; she is kind and friendly, and looks to get along with everyone. She is the sweetest thing that had ever happened to me, and should get the sweetest drink. Oh, and she loved your chai latte, by the way." Neku added in afterthought, and Joshua smirked.

"What was worse, though, was that I barely knew myself. I told you I liked sweet drinks, when truthfully I'm really bad with sweets. I was trying to force myself to be more like my wife when truthfully I should be more like myself. I like bitter drinks more than I do with sweet drinks. You knew, right? That last drink was bitter, and it suited my tastes like no other drink had before.

"I came into the city about two weeks ago. In that time, my mother–in–law helped me find a job, and last night I got fired. Two weeks! In a profession that I've never even heard of until I moved here. I didn't enjoy it, but I did it anyways because I knew that if Shiki's mother doesn't like me, she'll force a divorce in between Shiki and I.

"Joshua, this is going to sound really strange and creepy, but you really helped me find myself last night. I'm going to get to know my wife better. I'm going to get to know myself better. Most of all, I'm going to do it without fear. So I want to work here and grow up some more." Neku finished, panting slightly. That could have possibly been the most he's talked his entire life. He just felt like he needed to get that out. Looking up, he stared hopefully into the violet eyes of who may be his next boss.

Joshua giggled, and smirked.

"Do you? Really?" He asked, amused. Neku shrugged.

"In all honesty, I don't know. I can try, though." He offered, and Joshua shook his head in amusement.

"Fine. You're welcome to try. Welcome to WildKat Café, Neku." Joshua held out his hand and the corners of his lips lifted – not into a smirk, but into a small smile.

"Thanks," Neku smiled. "I'm happy to be here." No more relying on Shiki's mother. No more worrying about how he was going to support himself and Shiki.

It was like opening the doors into freedom for a trap that had forced him to work ridiculus hours and potentially make him lose his wife, had the wife's mother not disapprove of him at first glance despite of them being married already. It was like a weight being lifted off his chest – he got his own job without the recommendation of others. It was like achieving a gold trophy after a long marathon.

It was taking his first step into independence. And it felt great.

* * *

Author's note: I'm really bad at conclusions. Blah. And yeah, I've got other stories that I've been working on (let them be one-shots or continuations), and once all those are finished I'll post them up right away. Thanks for reading! =D


	6. I'm pretty sure

**Chapter 6: I'm pretty sure they're just playing a game, Beat.**

Rating: R (M?)

Warnings: Just an idea that popped into my head...but definitely not developed properly. Or I started an idea and didn't finish. Either way, I'm sorry. **ALSO, I haven't checked for grammar mistakes as much as I probably could have, so if it's really obvious PLEASE TELL ME SO I CAN WRITE BETTER.**

Word Count: 2020-ish

Summary: Beat and Shiki overhear Joshua and Neku, and their minds take a dirty turn...just what are they doing behind that door?

Author's note: My god, I haven't updated in a while. Things are a bitch, and are going to continue being a bitch for a bit, so if I don't update for a while, I'm super sorry. Just a heads up. Also cause I'm a lazy bitch. Ha. Ha. Ha.

* * *

"Give up."

"No."

"Give up."

"No!"

"Geez, you're too persistent."

"..."

"..."

"YES!"

"Hah, you wish."

"Aaahhh! Nooooooo!"

"You're not going to dominate me, you know."

"That's what you think!"

...eh?

Beat stared blankly, his hand raised to knock on the door.

"Hey Rhyme...they're not doing what I think they're doing, right?" He turned slowly to look at his sister, who cocked her head to the side and blinked.

"Doing what, Beat?" She asked. Beat flushed heavily. Like hell he was going to contaminate her with the what Joshua and Neku were probably doing behind the door.

"Um, yo Rhyme. Go get Shiki, will ya?" He asked. Blinking again, Rhyme smiled and nodded before bouncing away. Beat turned back at the closed door to Neku's room.

"Stop that."

"You did it to me!"

"Yes, but you liked it."

"...Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

"See?"

"Screw you!"

"Hee hee. Poor choice of words."

Beat wanted to turn away, back off, and turn off his hearing. Maybe he'll tell Red that Blue and Pink _could_ go together that way.

"Hey Beat! What's going o-" Shiki exclaimed as she bounced over, waving her hand in the air.

"Sshh!" Beat shushed her right away. "Take a listen to this," he said, jabbing his thumb at the door. Shiki looked curious before carefully placing her ear against the door.

"Fuuuuuuuck..."

" I _told_ you that it would hurt good."

"Goddammit...don't....move...."

"Hm. No."

A long, drawn out moan came from behind the door, and Shiki jumped back with her hands on her cheeks.

"Do you think they're doing what I think they're doing?" Beat asked her quietly. Shiki looked over at him and slowly removed her hands, revealing a small blush.

"I don't think so, Beat." She started as her eyebrows furrowed. "Maybe they're just playing a game or something, and our minds are going the wrong direction?" Beat blinked.

" Oh yeah? What game would make you go like _that_?" Beat asked skeptically. Shiki shrugged.

"Um...maybe Yahtzee? Monopoly?" She suggested.

"How the hell in Yahtzee or Monopoly that "the hurt was good"?" Beat exclaimed.

"Maybe Joshua made Neku mortgage some of his property that eventually helped him along?" Shiki said. "Mortgaging hurts, but if you can get back up from that, that's good."

"I don't buy it." Beat said defiantly, crossing his arms.

"Why don't you open the door and look, then?" Shiki asked as she crossed her arms as well.

"Bwaaah! No way am I goin' to do that!"

"Why not? YOU'RE the curious one."

"I'm not curious!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Are not!"

"You wouldn't have called me here if you weren't curious!" Shiki said crossly. Beat flushed.

"Well, aren't you curious too?" He asked. The blush grew on her face.

"N-no!" She said.

"You totally are!" Beat accused.

"Are not!"

"Why are you still here, then?" Shiki grew silent.

"Fine. Open the door. I'm pretty sure they're just playing a game, Beat."

"No way, man. I'm pretty sure they're not, and I'm not going to kill my eyes like that, yo." Shiki huffed impatiently.

"Fine. I'll prove that they're just playing a game!"

"Fine! If I'm right, you treat me to some curry!" Beat declared.

"Hah! If I'm right, you become my model for some of the outfits Eri and I are making!" Shiki challenged back. Beat blinked and weighed his options.

"Ahh...wait. Maybe not. Wait. Wai-!" Beat's withdrawal was too late.

Shiki opened the door. And blinked. Beat peered in over her shoulder and gaped.

The first thing Shiki's eyes were drawn to was the mess on the floor. Clothes were scattered all over, as well as pillows, blankets, pieces of paper, and...Neku's headphones? Why were they off him?As she wondered lightly to herself, her eyes traveled towards the back of the room (while ignoring the desk and bookshelf on the side) until finally, she gaped too.

There were two naked figures on the bed, sweaty and panting softly. An orange haired man (Neku, Shiki's mind supplied her) was on his knees with his behind sticking out in the air, head buried in his arms. A silver haired man ("Joshua!", her mind screamed.) was pressing his front onto the other's back, one hand supporting his weight while the other was wrapped around – _ohmygod._

"Hello there." A smooth voice interrupted Shiki's thoughts. Her eyes, along with Beat's, tore away from where _Neku's ass is really, really, really close to Joshua's crotch _and met with amused violet eyes. "Enjoy what you see?"

Shiki sputtered, unable to think fast – or clearly – enough to provide an answer and instead, settled for waving her hands furiously in the air as in to say, "No! I didn't mean to intrude upon you!" but failing to thread the words together. Beat just stood there speechless, eyes wide with a red blush across his face.

"I hope you do, because I certainly enjoy doing this." Joshua commented lightly. And, in Shiki's and Beat's horror, he pulled out from where he was connected to Neku (and earning a hard groan from the said man) and slowly pumped back in, hissing softly all the way.

"Nngh...Josh...who are you talking to – OH MY GOD." Neku muttered as he finally pulled his head out of his arms and turning to look at the door, finally noticing the two uninvited guests staring at their coupling. Shiki watched in small amusement (despite her current mental state) as the color on Neku's face began to darken in a deep shade of red in an incredibly fast rate.

"What-why-what-GET OUT!" Neku stuttered before finally roaring in utter embarrassment. Shiki's hand made to grab at the door handle, but for some reason she couldn't find it.

"But dear, don't you think being watched like this turns you on a bit more?" Joshua said in Neku's ear as he simultaneously squeezed his hand (and the cock in it) as he pulled out and thrust back in again. Neku moaned loudly before shaking his head in reply.

"Ah ha ha ha...um...don't worry! Beat and I are...um...we're on our way out. Yeah, that's it. So...um..." Shiki managed to put together before she was cut off by another unwilling moan from Neku. "Um...bye!" Her hand finally grasped the door handle (it never left her hand in the first place), pushed the still-comatose Beat out of the room and her blushing self followed. The door slammed shut.

Joshua giggled at their reaction once the two were gone. "What amusing friends we have, ne?" He commented as he continued his slow pace. Neku blushed and shook his head.

"I hate you." He said breathlessly yet bluntly before throwing his head back from a particularly well-aimed thrust.

"You can't tell me that _that_ didn't turn you on a bit more." Joshua replied, loosening his grip on Neku's cock and stroking the skin lightly. Neku made no move to even try to answer.

"Maybe next time I'll invite them to join us." Joshua said with a sly smirk on his face. Whipping around, Neku glared heatedly at his lover.

"Don't you dare." He seethed (although the expression fell once Joshua hit his prostrate again). The other giggled.

"Oh yeah? You going to stop me?" Joshua challenged. Neku narrowed his eyes before shifting his weight forward and forcing Joshua to slip out of him. Ignoring his irate look, Neku grabbed hold of his lover's shoulders and pushed him down to the bed.

"Yeah." Neku answered before grabbing Joshua's erection and held it in place as he lowered himself onto it. Joshua sucked in his breath between his teeth as he watched Neku's head thrown back in a breathless moan as he took him in inch by inch. An almost sinful heat engulfed his member, and together they moaned as Joshua was finally fully buried within Neku.

"No audience." Neku whispered as he placed his hands on Joshua's chest to steady himself. The silver haired man placed his hands on his lover's hips and smirked.

"You haven't fully convinced me yet." He replied, and, after rolling his eyes, Neku leaned down to give Joshua a kiss as he began to maneuver his hips up and down with the aid of Joshua's hands.

Small moans escaped from their kiss as they continued to move slowly and at a leisurely pace; feeling both unbelievable pleasure yet wanting to maintain the moment for as long as they could. Sex, they've agreed, was often way too fast; a moment's pleasure that was taken for granted and – many would probably agree – it ended way too early.

There would be a point, however, where one of them would lose control and begin to move faster and faster towards that climatic peak. It became a game for them; to see who would lose control faster, or who could keep themselves in check the longest.

Today Joshua lost the game.

His hands gripped and bruised the skin underneath it, willing Neku's hips to move faster as he also began to thrust upwards harder and faster. Neku understood the message and began to meet his lover's increasing tempo, groaning louder and louder each time his prostrate was struck. Finally, Neku raised his chest from Joshua's and began to bounce as fast as he could on the other's cock, while keeping his hands on his chest to maintain balance. Joshua brought one of his hands away from the orange head's reddened skin and instead, enclosed it around Neku's erection and began pumping it at the same pace they were going at.

"Yes!" Neku groaned loudly, throwing his head back in ecstasy. He squeezed the cock pounding in and out of him with his ass muscles, making the silver haired man groan and chant his name.

Soon, their eyes met, and Joshua knew: Neku was nearing his limit. Smirking, he rubbed the head of Neku's member with his index finger, outlining the slit that was there. That pushed him over the edge; Neku came, fast and hard; his fingernails left deep, angry marks in Joshua's shoulders as he arched his back in pleasure. They kept the pace fast though, and soon Joshua came as well, eyes screwed tight as he lost himself within Neku once more.

It wasn't long before Neku came off his high and collapsed on top of Joshua, not even bothering to remove the latter's cock out of him. Joshua, in turn, wrapped his arms around his lover and slowly flipped them over to lay on their sides to bask in their after-sex glow.

"Are you sure you don't want an audience?" Joshua whispered quietly into Neku's damp, orange hair. He didn't receive a proper answer from the man, but the sleepy backhand slap to his hip (and a quiet murmur about how _next time, we're locking the door)_ might have been the closest to one. Giggling quietly, he settled down, rested his chin atop of Neku's head, and joined his lover in dozing off.

Outside, Shiki and Beat both collapsed from exhaustion from squatting too long as they finally allowed themselves to detach their ears from the door.

"My god, I didn't think Neku could sound like that!" Shiki exclaimed, her face bright red and a gleam in her eye.

"I-I don't think I want to do that again." Beat said, blushing. "I am never going to eavesdrop on those two any more, y'know?" Shiki stared before giggling quietly.

"Yeah, me too." She said, finally standing. "Come on, let's go. I don't want to be here when they wake up and find that we never actually left." Beat nodded and pulled himself up. Together they walked down the hall and out the house, until suddenly Beat exclaimed, "Yo Shiki. You owe me some serious curry, man."

* * *

Author's note: So I got this idea when I got fed up with all these stories where they're like, "They overhear a conversation, think they're having sex but as it actually turns out they were just brushing their hair or playing a game" or whatever. Why can't they just be having some good old sex? Anyways, that's just me. Peace out, y'all.

P.S. I lost the game.


	7. ABC's

**Chapter 7: ABC's**

Rating: T

Warnings: Language, and nonsensical and random going-ons. Messy, with a chance of OOC-ing.

Word Count: 2,300 -ish?

Summary: Nonsensical, and random going-ons - all under themes that begin with a letter from the alphabet.

Author's note: Does anyone notice that I don't put disclaimers...? The World Ends With You is NOT mine, although I do enjoy imagining them in different situations. Hence, there are words written.

* * *

**A**: Asshole-ry.

"Y-you tricked me!"

"We did what you wanted to do, so now we do what I want to do."

"I'm not here for this!"

"But you promised - you're not going to go back on your word, are you, Neku?"

"Asshole!"

"I don't think that name would apply to me better than it does you."

* * *

**B**: Bakery

He never missed how his eyes always landed on the pastries in the window on Spain Hill, and the small change in his face as they left the district. It got to the point that he almost wanted to strongly suggest to his partner that they go in - only to be faced with the strange fact that the store didn't have a sigil.

So, after he left the game, one of the first things he did as a living man was buy the most delicious looking pastry and leave it at the closed-off end of the Station Underpass.

* * *

**C:** Cakewalk

He never imagined mind-fucking him could be such - such - such _cakewalk_.

* * *

**D:** Damp

"...this place is a lot more damp than I thought."

"It's a freaking _sewer_, Pink."

"That's not what I meant, dear."

"...?"

* * *

**E:** Evil

He never knew how evil people around him were before he discovered the Underground. Then he decided that something had to be changed - and found a lovely opponent and a proxy to help him with it.

* * *

**F:** Freak

"I'm telling you, I saw them! Frogs that were red and were jumping around, and kangaroos, and bears, and - "

"You're such a liar, Joshua!"

"I'm not lying! I swear, I saw them!"

"That's it! I know I promised your parents I'd take care of you before they died, Joshua, but this is insane! I will not tolerate any more of this nonsense!"

"But - "

"No buts, Joshua!"

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Oh, a customer. Run along, Joshua. Think carefully about what you've done."

He watched the owner of the pastry shop on Spain Hill attend to her business - but he didn't stay for long. Within seconds, a ten year old Joshua pulled on a light jacket and left to wander the streets, finding more comfort with the strangely colored animals than he would find with auntie and uncle. He knew they thought he was a freak, yet at the same time, he knew that only freaks would understand other freaks - he just had to find someone who understood him. Then they would be the normal ones, and everyone else would be the freaks.

And then he found Sanae.

* * *

**G:** Gravity

It was the weirdest thing - gravity, that is. There's the gravity that pulls everything - people, objects, and sometimes even ideas - to the core, the center of the Earth.

And then there was the gravity between objects, between people. Which was what Joshua had whispered to him before - well, things - happened.

* * *

**H:** Hell

He's been through the Reaper's Game - not once, not twice, but three freaking times. He's spent an entire week with a roller coaster known as Shiki, an entire week with the mind-wreaking Joshua, and entire week with a desperate Beat. He literally died and was reborn - much to the shock of his parents and authorities - but was lucky enough to escape media notice.

Yet even through all of that, he's sure of one thing - there has never been a hell worse than being stuck in a corner with Joshua, his girlfriend, his friends, and all his relatives and having to admit that he wasn't straight.

* * *

**I:** Ill

"Y-you're _what_!"

"I'm sick, Neku. I thought you were faster than this, Neku."

"B-but how?"

"Were you really looking for a proper answer for that?"

"..."

"And when I'm sick, I only drink pumpkin soup."

"...but you don't like pumpkin soup!"

"Oh, and while we're there, we'll be able to talk to Hanekoma, won't we?"

"That's a trick!"

"Regardless, you wouldn't want to run a chance of me slowing us down, do we, Neku?"

"...!"

"Now, shall we get going then?"

* * *

**J:** Jail

At times, the Dead God's Pad felt like a jail. It was so isolated from everything else, doors hidden, and so on and so forth. But to some, the place was so familiar to them - even if they hadn't wanted it to be.

That's why Joshua couldn't help but sniff in disgust when he saw how the alternate dimension had treated his ho - this place. If he had his way, this place would be so much _drier_, at least.

* * *

**K:** Killer

When he found that it _was_ in fact Joshua who killed him, his first thought wasn't the expected "I knew it!" or "I should have known."

To Joshua's surprise, Neku's second thought (his first was the expected "What?") was, "I hope I was the only one Joshua fucked over."

* * *

**L:** Love

"Do you believe in love, Neku?"

"...what?"

"Because I don't. What people call love is merely two people having fun taking and being taken advantage of."

"Well I - "

"And then they expect the other to remain faithful to their games and to stay beside them forever - what proof is there that they will? They can just up and leave - and you'd be left standing there, wondering what happened to you."

"J-"

"And then you have people doing stupid things under the name of 'love'. People forsaking families, their jobs, their livelihoods for this imperceptible, untouchable _concept_."

"Josh-"

"And what's so great about love anyways? Why would anyone want to entrust their person and entire selves to someone el-"

"Joshua!"

"...yes, Neku?"

"...we're here. Wildkat."

"Lovely. Wait here, I'll be just a moment."

"...Josh?"

"Hm? Something on your mind, Neku?"

"...I believe in love."

"...you do?"

"I agree with you. Love is a scary thing - we risk a lot for it, and we can't even see or feel the results of such sacrifice. But Josh...without love - be it for a friend, family, or a lover - wouldn't life be boring?"

* * *

**M:** Mastery

"Come on..."

"Ugh!"

"I'VE GOT YOU!"

"Not a chance!"

"STOP MOVING!"

"Hah! Take that!"

"There's no WAY you can beat me with that!"

"W-w-what was that?"

"HA HA HA! TAKE THAT, BRO!"

"No waaaay! How could I lose...!"

"Neku-neku, do you need to take a break?"

"HAH! AND THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR CHALLENGING ME, SHUTO DAN, THE MASTER OF TIN PIN SLAMMER!"

* * *

**N:** Naughty

It was amazing how, by the end of the day, Neku was _still_ annoyed at how he wagged his finger at him and called him 'naughty'. Seriously, it was only a jab at his jab at 777's outfit, and how there was seriously too many holes in it.

* * *

**O:** Open

"Hey, Joshua.

So, um. Call me stupid or obsessive or something, but it's the thirteenth time I've brought you some food, so that means it's been three months since I've seen or last heard of you. How've you been?

This time I got you some custard buns. From that place on Spain Hill? You might not have noticed me, uh, noticing you, and uh, well, um, here. I don't really know why you do, but I guess it has something to do with the fact that the store doesn't have a sigil? But you're the composer, so I guess you can go in any time you'd like, but anyways. That's that.

Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme tried to set me up with this girl in class today - her name's Hakagawa Yai, and she's nice. Pretty, even. I took her to see that new movie that came out, y'know, Up? It was a good movie. The music was pretty good too. Michael Giacchino's pretty good, but somehow I still think John Williams is better. But yeah. Nothing really happened after that, so I think it blew over.

Hakai-sensei is still pretty strict, and she's getting smarter. She caught me sleeping in class the other day, but I swear my book was still up. I think Shiki told her to make fun of me. I ended up with detention, but during that she left and didn't come back! I stayed for the rest of it just in case, and I ended up doodling some pictures. I think they're pretty realistic of some random frog and pig Noise. Remember how annoying those damn things were? At least the other Noise were better exercise.

I, um, listen. You know you're free to join us at any time. We always meet at Hachiko, and even though we might meet up at random times during the week, we always go out on Sundays, so.

Anyways, I'll...just leave this here. I hope you enjoy it...later."

* * *

**P:** Pointless

Sometimes, trying to make heads or tails from anything that Joshua says is pointless. So most times he just tunes him out.

* * *

**Q:** Quintessence

It's said that when someone dies (figuratively, of course) and is reborn, they have reached quintessence - a fifth element on top of the four, composed of heavenly bodies or whatnot.

Well, Neku had died and was reborn - both figuratively and physically - but he sure didn't feel much of a difference, or as heavenly as he thought he'd feel. Sure, he has friends now, an sees the world in a much, better light - but he feels like he's missing something too. It irritates him that he doesn't quite know what.

* * *

**R:** Response

For some reason, every Saturday, WildKat would close at four and re-open at five. During closing time, the owner would be seen happily munching on a piece of pastry from Spain Hill on a plate, with an extra fork to the side that was never used.

* * *

**S:** Share

Every Saturday at four, a box will appear on the counter beside the door.

Customers would never notice the box (such negligent creatures), but the owner, surrounded by what some might consider the "strange" everyday, wasn't startled. The residue presence on the box told him everything.

At first, the owner would put it in the fridge and keep it. After three days, he'd throw it out. Eventually, though, it became apparent to the owner that the person who kept leaving the box will never be back to eat it. So, to not let the pastry go to waste, he'd close shop so he could eat it with the patience and love that the pastry (and the person who bought said pastry) deserved. With an extra fork out to share with the person, just in case.

When he started to do that, the air around him felt like it began to shimmer. And then the owner knew. The presence couldn't eat it, per say, but the message behind the pastry was sent regardless.

* * *

**T:** Think

"Neku, do something!"

"Shut up, I'm thinking!"

"Well, think harder!"

"Argh!"

"This is ridiculous - follow my lead!"

"Screw that!"

"You don't get a choice!"

* * *

**U:** Unfaithful

"I never thought that Pegasa would be so much better than Mus Rattus! Neku, we're switching brands."

"Isn't that not being brand-loyal?"

"Your point?"

"..."

* * *

**V:** Vacant

What was he doing here? Why wasn't he at home, wasting the day away like he did with so many other days, or illegally downloading music off the internet? How could he still hear so many thoughts? Why?

Why was Shiki used as his payment? She had nothing to do with this! She deserved to be home with that piggy of hers, sewing, fulfilling her dream...this was all his fault! He just risked Shiki, and now -

"What are you doing, partner?"

"...?"

"Oh man, you're not going to just sit around, are you? I thought you were experienced. Aren't we supposed to do something other than just sit around with vacant faces?"

"..."

"Come on, we have a mission to do."

"...don't drag me down."

"Wouldn't dare, Neku."

* * *

**W:** Wager

"I bet you'd lose against Shuto in Tin Pin Slammer."

"Why are we doing this?"

"If you win, I'll volunteer to do all the wall-tasks that has to do with clothing."

"..."

"But if you lose, you have to do me one favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"It's a secret - but I promise you won't regret doing it."

"...fine."

* * *

**X:** Xenophobia (the fear of foreigners or anything strange)

"Y-you're _bisexual_?" Silence rang throughout the room. "Neku! How could you? A-and here I th-thought...I thought you were _normal_!"

Damn Joshua to the deepest pits of hell for making him admit that he was bisexual to his slightly xenophobic gir- well. Ex-girlfriend, now.

* * *

**Y:** Years

It's been years since he's been in that bakery on Spain Hill. After he forced himself into the Reaper's Game and became the composer, the place became something almost sacred. So he refused to allow anyone from the games in to that place, his childhood home. It was too close to home for him, and for years, the shop was left alone by the Underground world. Including himself.

And then Neku came along, and he was reminded how great the place smelled, how delicious the pastries looked...

...and how warm his auntie's arms were after his parents' funerals.

...Maybe one day he will drop in for a visit. With a friend.

* * *

**Z:** Zealot

The world had tens of thousands of millions of their own views - and it conflicted with each other every day over almost anything. It never left anyone alone; it dragged whoever whether they liked it or not down. It was overbearing, it was suffocating, it was oppressive.

Staying away from anyone or anything else was the best policy, and that was how Neku almost religiously lived. He avoided crowds, classmates, school clubs, and was even withdrawn from his parents. He lived only in music - or at least, he lived in his outside-sound-proof headphones.

Well, there is nothing poetic in death. If one were to tell Neku that he would have friends after death, he wouldn't do anything - because one wouldn't be able to even talk to him. But as strange as it is, that's just what happened. Things changed.

I suppose that's just how life works.

* * *

Author's Note: It's been a while - so sorry if anything is off! *nervous laugh*


End file.
